C++26 DIS failed, how does C++ survive?

C++26 failed its ISO Draft International Standard ballot on October 23, 2026, marking the first rejection of a C++ DIS in the language's history and falling short of the required two-thirds majority. National Bodies cited the Contracts feature as the reason, arguing it is not ready for release, according to committee member and German representative Rainer Grimm. The vote echoes the only prior DIS rejection, ISO/IEC DIS 26926 for C++/CLI in 2006, which was ultimately halted. Contracts had already been pulled from C++20 in 2019 after being added in Cologne, and the current dispute hinges on whether opponents have introduced genuinely new information or are relitigating old arguments. The outcome matters because it stalls the standard's penultimate approval stage and tests WG21's consensus model against National Body votes. What to watch next is whether Contracts is revised, removed, or deferred in a renewed DIS ballot.