🔗 Share this article

President Emmanuel Macron has called upon Sébastien Lecornu to resume duties as French prime minister just days after he stepped down, triggering a week of high drama and crisis.

Macron declared towards the end of the week, hours after gathering leading factions together at the official residence, omitting the figures of the extremist parties.

Lecornu's return shocked many, as he stated on television just 48 hours prior that he was not seeking the position and his task was complete.

It is not even certain whether he will be able to form a government, but he will have to start immediately. Lecornu faces a deadline on the start of the week to submit financial plans before the National Assembly.

Leadership Hurdles and Fiscal Demands

The presidency announced the president had assigned him to build a cabinet, and those close to the president suggested he had been given full authority to make decisions.

The prime minister, who is one of the president's key supporters, then published a comprehensive announcement on X in which he agreed to take on as an obligation the assignment entrusted to me by the president, to make every effort to secure a national budget by the December and address the daily concerns of our fellow citizens.

Ideological disagreements over how to bring down government borrowing and cut the budget deficit have caused the resignation of two of the past three prime ministers in the past twelve months, so his mission is enormous.

Government liabilities in the past months was almost 114% of gross domestic product – the third highest in the eurozone – and the annual fiscal gap is estimated to reach 5.4 percent of the economy.

The premier said that everyone must contribute the imperative of fixing France's public finances. In just a year and a half before the completion of his mandate, he advised that prospective ministers would have to put on hold their political goals.

Governing Without a Majority

What makes it even harder for Lecornu is that he will face a parliamentary test in a parliament where Macron has no majority to support him. The president's popularity reached its lowest point in the latest survey, according to a survey that put his public backing on 14 percent.

The far-right leader of the National Rally party, which was not invited of consultations with faction heads on the end of the week, said that Lecornu's reappointment, by a president out of touch at the official residence, is a misstep.

His party would promptly introduce a vote of no confidence against a failing government, whose sole purpose was fear of an election, the leader stated.

Building Alliances

The prime minister at least understands the obstacles ahead as he tries to build a coalition, because he has already devoted 48 hours recently talking to political groups that might support him.

On their own, the centrist parties are insufficient, and there are splits within the right-leaning party who have supported the ruling coalition since he lost his majority in elections last year.

So he will seek left-wing parties for possible backing.

To gain leftist support, officials hinted the president was thinking of postponing to part of his divisive pension reforms passed in 2023 which increased the pension age from 62 up to 64.

It was insufficient of what socialist figures wanted, as they were hoping he would appoint a premier from their side. Olivier Faure of the leftist party stated “since we've not been given any guarantees, we won't give any guarantee” for the premier.

The Communist figure from the left-wing party said after meeting the president that the progressive camp wanted genuine reform, and a premier from the president's centrist camp would not be accepted by the French people.

Environmental party head the Green figure expressed shock the president had offered the left almost nothing to the progressives, adding that the situation would deteriorate.