French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu narrowly survived a crucial test on Tuesday as the country's divided parliament voted in favour of a 2026 budget bill, BBC reported. 

If Lecornu had failed to win a majority in the National Assembly for his social security budget, it would have gravely weakened his hand ahead of the main budget vote, which is due by the end of the year. 

But in the end, the bill passed by 247 votes to 234. It will now go back to the upper house or Senate before returning for a final reading in the Assembly, according to BBC.