Overview

• After two days of consultations, outgoing premier Sébastien Lecornu declared his mission over, reported that dissolution prospects have receded, and cleared the way for a presidential pick by Friday.
• The refiled 2026 budget is slated for presentation on Monday, with Lecornu calling it imperfect and negotiable as several parties outside LFI and the RN indicated willingness to work on a text.
• Lecornu and ministers identified the 2023 pension law as the central obstacle to a deal, with Élisabeth Borne floating a suspension and cost estimates ranging from hundreds of millions in 2026 to about €3 billion in 2027.
• Marine Le Pen vowed to oppose any incoming cabinet and to use censure votes, while LFI warned it would move against any broad coalition, tightening the margins for a workable majority.
• The Socialist Party pushed for a left-leaning prime minister and guarantees of a pension debate, as LR and Horizons rejected suspending the reform and Lecornu urged a team free of 2027 presidential ambitions.