Paris: The French government survived on Monday a new no-confidence vote over the budget debate, public broadcaster Franceinfo reported. The motion, initiated by the left-wing party France Unbowed (La France Insoumise or LFI), failed to gather the required 289 votes, securing only 115, as the Socialist Party and the far-right National Rally chose not to support it.

According to Anadolu Agency, French Premier Francois Bayrou faced the new motion after invoking Article 49.3 of the Constitution last week. This move allowed him to bypass parliamentary approval and push through the second part of the 2025 Social Security budget (PLFSS), which pertains to the revenue section. Despite the no-confidence motion, lawmakers rejected it, leading to the adoption of the PLFSS revenue section.

Bayrou emphasized the necessity of adopting a third section to ensure France is "provided with a budget," and once again invoked Article 49.3 to force through the expenditure section of the PLFSS. This recent challenge follows Bayrou's survival of two no-confidence motions led by LFI and its allies last week, with the Socialists and National Rally playing a crucial role by withholding their votes.

The Socialist Party is reportedly planning to submit another no-confidence motion on February 19. This motion aims to express their disagreement with the government while allowing the budget to be adopted, addressing the economic uncertainty created by the government's failure to pass it before the year-end deadline.

Since his nomination as prime minister on December 13, Francois Bayrou has faced his first no-confidence vote in January, followed by two more last week.