Lecornu halts pension reform, aims to overcome no-confidence votes

French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu is teetering on the brink of political survival, but his tactical concessions are likely to secure his position. In order to gain support from the left, he agreed to suspend pension reform—one of the main points on President Emmanuel Macron's agenda—for the time being.

The Socialists accepted this offer and will not support the no-confidence motions planned for Thursday. Nevertheless, the outcome remains open, as some MPs may vote differently from their announcements.

Lecornu promised to amend the law as early as November, putting the reform on hold. If this happens, Macron would have achieved few domestic policy successes after eight years in office.

The political landscape in France is deeply divided, and the minority government is trying to push through deficit reduction budgets in parliament. On Wednesday, the Socialists also advocated for the inclusion of a billionaire tax in next year's budget.

(reuters, lup)