"What an interminable reign ends" : why no deputy, even from the Macronist ranks, voted for the first part of the budget

A budget that no one likes. But really to no one, not even because of a misunderstanding or the clumsiness of a half-asleep MP. The revenue part of the finance bill for the year 2027 was unanimously rejected, Wednesday, November 4, in the National Assembly: 458 votes against, no votes for and no abstentions.

This is the first time that such a scenario has occurred in the history of the Fifth Republic. What lesson should we learn from this? “This is what remains of macronism: nothing more,” comments Eric Coquerel, president of La France insoumise (LFI) of the finance committee, to franceinfo.

“This is the final point of this last year which has been chaotic,” adds Emmanuel Maurel, former candidate in the left-wing primary and member of the commission. “What an end to an endless reign,” writes the RN’s “mister budget,” Jean-Philippe Tanguy, on X. “Proof that our institutions no longer work” On the side of the Macronists, this situation is explained by a question of parliamentary culture.

“Symbolically, it is the failure of the National Assembly to work together to try to construct a budget for the French,” judges MoDem deputy for Nièvre Perrine Goulet. His comrade Erwan Balanant goes further. “This is proof that our institutions no longer work,” summarizes the elected official from Finistère, who wants new rules for budgetary discussions, believing that those in force no longer correspond to the political situation of the Assembly.

“The organic law relating to finance laws is simply not adapted to the current situation, with three blocks within the hemicycle,” concludes Arnaud Bonnet, environmentalist deputy for Seine-et-Marne. This unprecedented scenario is therefore not a surprise for the government, which is trying to minimize its impact. “A first reading is like a warm-up tour: everyone marks their red lines and wants to sharpen their political objectives,” explains Sébastien Lecornu’s entourage.

It is indeed classic for oppositions to reject budgets. It is considered the most political act of the year and the marker of a position. At the very least, as a sign of goodwill, opponents can abstain.

In 2025, part of the PS group even voted for the Social Security budget, recalls LCP, after the promise of the suspension of Elisabeth Borne's pension reform. Such leniency was not expected this year and it was not there. “We were expecting major changes before examining this budget.

This was not the case (…); the amended copy is no more digestible than the initial copy", explains Estelle Mercier, MP for Meurthe-et-Moselle, specialist in budgetary issues at the PS group. "Budget Frankenstein" On the other hand, it is more baroque for the supporters of a government to reject a text presented by it. Usually, such an attitude represents a gesture of distrust.

Machine-translated from French