---
title: "France's Socialists threaten to oust government by Monday amid fraught budget talks"
description: "PARIS, Oct 24 (Reuters) - France's Socialists have threatened to topple the government by Monday if their budget conditions are not met, saying on Friday they would file a no-confidence bill next week if the mega-rich are not forced to pay more tax."
type: "NewsArticle"
publisher: "Daily Maverick"
site: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za"
section: "Newsdeck"
author: "Reuters"
author_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/author/reuters/"
canonical_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2025-10-24-frances-socialists-threaten-to-oust-government-by-monday-amid-fraught-budget-talks/"
published: "2025-10-24T12:41:49"
updated: "2025-10-24T12:41:50"
lang: "en-ZA"
word_count: 140
---

# France's Socialists threaten to oust government by Monday amid fraught budget talks

> PARIS, Oct 24 (Reuters) - France's Socialists have threatened to topple the government by Monday if their budget conditions are not met, saying on Friday they would file a no-confidence bill next week if the mega-rich are not forced to pay more tax.

By Reuters · Published 24 October 2025, 14:41 SAST · Updated 24 October 2025, 14:41 SAST

## Key points
- In a dramatic showdown reminiscent of a political soap opera, Socialist leader Olivier Faure has warned Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu that his time is running out to play nice, or risk being ousted by an unlikely alliance of the far left and far right, all while budget talks kick off like a high-stakes game of poker.
- Socialist leader Olivier Faure warns of imminent action against Prime Minister Lecornu if no compromise is reached by Monday.
- France's divided parliament allows the Socialists to potentially topple Lecornu's minority government with support from the far left and far right.
- Lecornu's previous concession to scrap a pension reform has not satisfied the left, which seeks further concessions.
- Budget talks for 2026 commenced in the National Assembly, heightening tensions between the government and opposition.

## Content

"We have made an effort not to censure the prime minister, but so far we have not seen any sign of a willingness to compromise," Socialist party leader Olivier Faure told BFM on Friday. "If there is no change by Monday, it's all over."

Given the arithmetic of [France](https://www.reuters.com/world/france/)'s starkly divided parliament, the Socialists have the power to topple Prime Minster Sebastien Lecornu's weak minority government if they partner with the far left and the far right, which have already said they want to oust him.

Lecornu had managed to win Socialist support by pledging to scrap a landmark pension reform, but the left clearly believes in can extract greater concessions as talks to pass the 2026 budget began on Friday on the floor of the National Assembly.

(Reporting by Alessandro Parodi and Dominique Vidalon; Editing by Alison Williams)