Could France head to early elections as the government faces two no-confidence votes?

With the government facing the threat of two motions of no-confidence, Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu has asked Interior Minister Laurent Nunez to explore the possibility of holding early general elections alongside local elections on March 15 and 22, according to several French media and the AFP news agency.

The move comes after the far-right National Rally (RN) and the radical left-wing France Unbowed (LFI) submitted no-confidence motions against the government, citing its failure to prevent the approval of the EU–Mercosur trade deal.

The two motions are expected to be debated in the National Assembly next week, between Tuesday and Wednesday. If either were to pass, the government would be dissolved, triggering early elections.

On Friday morning, Lecornu strongly criticised the RN and LFI on X: "Tabling a motion of no-confidence in this context is to deliberately choose to display internal political disagreements. It is to choose to weaken France's voice rather than show national unity in defence of our agriculture".