The PM back in October handed the Socialists a major concession to ensure his government’s survival when he announced the government would suspend until 2027 a law raising the retirement age from 62 to 64 for most workers, a flagship policy of President Emmanuel Macron.
To seal the deal with left-wing lawmakers, the government last week proposed increasing healthcare spending, especially for hospitals. Socialist lawmakers are now set to vote in favor of the bill, party leader Olivier Faure said on Monday, while the Greens are expected to abstain.
But Lecornu appears to have lost support from the conservative Les Républicains and Horizons, a smaller center-right party led by Macron’s first prime minister and presidential candidate Edouard Philippe. Lawmakers from both parties are hesitating between abstaining or voting against the bill over concerns it doesn’t adequately reduce the French budget deficit, which is projected to come in at 5.4 percent of gross domestic product.
Lecornu previously said he wants next year’s fiscal plans to bring that figure down to no more than 5 percent of GDP.
Why is this vote so important?
Big picture, France needs to convince observers that it has not become too ungovernable to balance its books or free up money to spend on other costly policy areas like defense and reindustrialization.
The Lecornu adviser previously quoted said this is effectively the last chance for the National Assembly to pass the social security budget this year. If the bill isn’t greenlit in 2025, it’s likely “dead” as is, according to a parliamentary official granted anonymity in line with standard professional practice in France.