British News Agency

A total of 404 lawmakers voted against the revenue section of the bill, leading to its rejection without considering the expenditure section. Only one lawmaker voted in favor, and 84 abstained. No budget bill in the history of the Fifth French Republic had ever been rejected so decisively.

Most government lawmakers cited provisions proposed by the opposition as the reason for the rejection. Paul Midy, a National Assembly member from President Emmanuel Macron’s Enlightenment Party, described these provisions as an “economic horror.” They included significant tax increases on individuals with multiple nationalities and on the resale of bonds.

Eric Coquerel, chair of the parliamentary budget committee from the left-wing France Unconquered Party, said the initial draft presented by the government was written “as if it had a majority” and satisfied no one, leading to its rejection.

France’s Minister of Budget and Public Accounts, Amélie de Montchalin, stated on the social media platform X that “extremists” in parliament preferred to add unacceptable provisions to the budget in bad faith. She described some of these provisions as unrealistic, unworkable, or unconstitutional. Montchalin added: “However, I am confident that the majority of parties in the National Assembly will find sufficient common ground to provide a budget that will allow our country to enter next year with full confidence.”