STORY: French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu called for lawmakers to vote for order in a "moment of truth" as he faced two no confidence votes in Parliament on Thursday (October 16).

The newly-appointed prime minister appeared likely to survive the motions after offering to suspend President Emmanuel Macron's landmark pension reform to win support from the left.

Lecornu, already France's shortest-serving prime minister in modern times before he was re-appointed last week, had faced the prospect of an even shorter second stint in office until he made the pensions reform concession on Tuesday (October 14).

The Socialists, who hold the key to Lecornu's political survival, welcomed the move, saying they would not support two no-confidence motions due to be voted on Thursday, one from the far-left and the other from the far-right National Rally.

Despite Lecornu's offer to mothball the reform until after the 2027 presidential election, the result is expected to be close, with potential rebels from the Socialists or conservative Republicans injecting a measure of doubt into the result.

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VIDEO SHOWS: FRENCH PRIME MINISTER, SEBASTIEN LECORNU, SPEAKING IN PARLIAMENT BEFORE CONFIDENCE VOTES ON HIS GOVERNMENT

RESENDING WITH COMPLETE SCRIPT

SHOWS: PARIS, FRANCE (OCTOBER 16, 2025) (FRENCH NATIONAL ASSEMBLY - Access all)

1. FRENCH PRIME MINISTER, SEBASTIEN LECORNU, LISTENING IN PARLIAMENT CHAMBER

2. LECORNU APPROACHING LECTERN

3. LAWMAKERS FROM FAR-RIGHT "NATIONAL RALLY" PARTY, INCLUDING MARINE LE PEN AND JEAN-PHILIPPE TANGUY, LISTENING

4. NATIONAL RALLY LAWMAKERS IN CHAMBER

5. LE PEN GESTURING TO EMPTY BENCHES

6. (SOUNDBITE) (French) FRENCH PRIME MINISTER, SEBASTIEN LECORNU, SAYING:

"The reality is, ladies and gentlemen, members of Parliament, either we enter into the debates, or we plunge once and for all into a political crisis. And that, you must take responsibility for, members of (hard left) France Unbowed, together with the members of the National Rally, because this is clearly the moment of truth. Do we want republican order with debates taking place in the National Assembly or do we want disorder? Do we want to slow the country down? To vote no confidence on the basis of a bill you disagree with can be understood, to vote it on the basis of no bill at all is simply a lack of common sense."

7. PRESIDENT OF NATIONAL ASSEMBLY, YAEL BRAUN-PIVET, CALLING FOR CALM TO LAWMAKERS

8. CHAMBER

9. FRANCE UNBOWED LAWMAKER AURELIE TROUVE LISTENING

10. (SOUNDBITE) (French) FRENCH PRIME MINISTER, SEBASTIEN LECORNU, SAYING:

"You cannot say that this government, Ms. Le Pen, is afraid of the people, because in a few moments, either the National Assembly will have voted no confidence in it, or the National Assembly will have confirmed it. You cannot say we are afraid of the people, Ms Le Pen, you were a candidate in the presidential election in 2017 -- you were defeated. You were a candidate in the presidential election in 2022 -- you were defeated. There were early legislative elections, which your political group requested by calling for dissolution -- you did not obtain an absolute majority. And what I am saying, Madame (Le Pen), with respect, is precisely that no one obtained an absolute majority, and that today a government stands before you, supported -- and we will see in a few moments whether or not -- by a sufficiently large base of deputies to remain in office or not."

11. LE PEN LISTENING

12. LECORNU WALKING AWAY FROM LECTERN