Lecornu tackles France’s final pre-election budget under heavy pressure

France’s 2027 budget is already being described as a near-impossible mission, with Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu facing weak economic conditions, new spending commitments and the threat of censure before next year’s presidential election.

Lecornu is bringing his full government together for a seminar focused on preparing the budget. Ministers will first meet at the Élysée Palace for a cabinet meeting dedicated to the start of the school year, the only item formally listed on that agenda.

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absolute majority

The political pressure extends beyond the government’s budget work. In Tourcoing, Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin staged a public show of support for Édouard Philippe, whose backing he formalized in mid-August. The gathering was framed as something closer to political courtship than a routine event, despite rain threatening to disrupt it.

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fairer France

Philippe, a presidential candidate, offered few clear commitments to Darmanin’s preferred social-right platform and remained vague about the details of his program. He instead focused on the prospect of building an “absolute majority” if he wins the election.

On the left, Socialist Party First Secretary Olivier Faure confirmed his candidacy for the left-wing primary in an interview on TF1. He said he wanted to fight for a “fairer France” and identified preventing Marine Le Pen from reaching the Élysée as his overriding concern.

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I am obsessed with ensuring that Marine Le Pen does not reach the Élysée

Faure said he was tired of a left that spoke only about conflict within the left. He said his fight was against both the right and the far right, a criticism aimed at primary rival Raphaël Glucksmann.

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I am tired of this left that speaks exclusively about a fight with the left. I am fighting the right and the far right.