Bruno Retailleau, the Republican candidate in the upcoming French presidential election, has called on the government to use executive decrees to manage the budget process. This comes as the government plans to introduce the 2027 financial bill into Parliament in early October. The budget documents, unveiled on a Thursday morning, are expected to spark intense debate in the National Assembly, France's lower house of parliament. With the assembly deeply divided and opposition parties showing little willingness to compromise, finding common ground appears difficult. Retailleau, a former minister under President Emmanuel Macron, is advocating for the use of Article 47, a constitutional provision that allows the government to issue decrees—legal decisions made by the executive without requiring parliamentary approval—when legislative procedures become stuck. "What I propose for the budget is Article 47, the decrees. No other path is possible," Retailleau said during an interview with BFMTV-RMC. He emphasized that the Constitution permits the government to issue decrees if the legislative process is delayed beyond 70 days, a scenario he believes is likely to occur. Retailleau is not seeking to bypass Parliament entirely but is pushing for the government to use this legal tool to ensure a budget is passed. He stated, "The budget must be as least bad as possible," adding that even if the government faces a veto, having a budget in place would allow it to manage routine matters until the election. The government formally presented its budget proposal in a cabinet meeting on Thursday morning, around 10:30 AM, outlining its financial plans for the upcoming year. Meanwhile, several opposition parties are preparing to review the government's proposal and will soon present their own counter-budgets. Marine Le Pen, the presidential candidate for the National Rally (RN), is expected to unveil her budgetary plan "next week." This growing competition for influence over fiscal policy highlights the deep divisions in French politics as the country approaches a critical electoral period.