French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday reappointed Sebastien Lecornu as Prime Minister, just days after his resignation, asking him to once again form a government and prepare a budget in an effort to end France’s political stalemate.
Lecornu’s return followed days of tense negotiations and came less than a week after he stepped down amid infighting within his newly formed government. France continues to grapple with deepening economic challenges and soaring public debt.
The move is widely seen as Macron’s final attempt to revive his second term, which runs until 2027. Without a parliamentary majority to advance his policies, the president faces growing criticism, including from within his own ranks, and has limited options left.
The Elysee Palace issued a brief, one-line statement confirming Lecornu's reappointment, mirroring the announcement made a month ago when he was first named the Prime Minister, and just four days after his resignation.
In a statement posted on social media, Lecornu said he accepted the position out of a sense of duty, with a mission “to ensure France has a budget by the end of the year and to address the everyday concerns of our citizens.”
He added that anyone joining his new Cabinet must abandon ambitions to run for president in 2027, stressing that the government would embody “renewal and a diversity of expertise.” Lecornu said, “We must bring an end to this political crisis that frustrates the French and undermines our country’s image and interests.”
France's political instability
His sudden resignation on Monday, just hours after unveiling his Cabinet, came after opposition from a key coalition partner, sparking calls for Macron to resign or dissolve Parliament once again. The president ignored those demands, instead promising to name a new prime minister within 48 hours.
After meeting Macron for more than two hours on Friday, several political party leaders said they remained uncertain about his next move. Some warned that appointing another prime minister from his fragile centrist bloc could face rejection by the powerful National Assembly, prolonging the deadlock.
“How can one expect this to end well?” asked Marine Tondelier, leader of The Ecologists party. “The impression we get is that the more isolated he becomes, the more inflexible he is.”
Over the past year, Macron’s successive minority governments have collapsed in rapid succession, paralysing the European Union’s second-largest economy as France faces a mounting debt crisis. By the end of the first quarter of 2025, the country’s public debt had reached 3.346 trillion euros ($3.9 trillion), or 114% of GDP.
France’s poverty rate also climbed to 15.4% in 2023, its highest level since records began in 1996, according to the national statistics institute.
