France’s National Assembly rejects 2027 budget as strikes disrupt services
Lawmakers voted unanimously against adopting the government’s draft on November 4, as unions held nationwide strikes the next day over wages and public services.
France’s National Assembly voted unanimously against adopting the government’s proposed 2027 budget on November 4, as unions held nationwide strikes and demonstrations on November 5 over wages and public services. The vote adds pressure to Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu’s effort to reduce the deficit, while strike action disrupted schools and trains, CNBC and France 24 reported.
Why the French budget vote matters
No party holds a majority in the National Assembly, France’s lower house, CNBC reported. Since a 2024 snap election produced a hung parliament, successive governments have used Article 49.3 of the constitution to push budgets through without a vote. Threats of no-confidence motions have previously forced concessions, the broadcaster said.
Lecornu said in September that he was targeting €54 billion in spending cuts. France’s deficit was 5.1% of gross domestic product in 2025, while national debt stood at 115.6% of GDP, CNBC reported. Concerns about the deficit and rising borrowing costs have put French government bonds under pressure.
Analysts quoted by CNBC said the rejection was not unexpected in a fragmented parliament and assessed that the government might use constitutional powers to advance a budget. That is an analyst assessment; the vote does not establish which route the government will take or the final budget’s fiscal effect.
What France’s November 5 strikes disrupted
Trade unions joined forces for strikes and demonstrations on November 5, demanding higher wages and supporting the high-school protest movement, France 24 reported. The Eiffel Tower closed to the public, and strikes disrupted services including schools and trains.
The CGT union said more than 250,000 people had joined protests across 73 French cities by lunchtime. CGT head Sophie Binet said the mobilisation would end only with a response to union demands, France 24 reported. The participation figure is the union’s estimate.
Before the Paris march, the inter-union coalition forecast 500,000 to 700,000 participants outside Paris and 40,000 to 80,000 in the capital. France 24 reported that authorities had deployed around 70,000 police nationwide; CNBC separately reported that Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said 70,000 police and gendarmes would be deployed.
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Sources and context
- Nationwide strikes loom as French budget is unanimously rejected by lawmakersCNBC, with AFP photo credit
- Live: Paris march begins as unions unite for nationwide strikesFrance 24; live coverage credits AFP, AP and Reuters
AI-assisted article checked against the listed sources. NewsJaws did not conduct interviews or attend the reported events.
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