President Emmanuel Macron Reappoints Lecornu as France's PM In the Wake of A Period of Political Turmoil

Sébastien Lecornu portrait
Sébastien Lecornu held the position for only 26 days before his surprise stepping down earlier this week

President Emmanuel Macron has called upon his former prime minister to resume duties as the nation's premier only four days after he left the post, causing a period of high drama and political turmoil.

Macron stated on Friday evening, shortly after consulting with leading factions together at the Élysée Palace, except for the figures of the far right and far left.

The decision to reinstate him was unexpected, as he stated on broadcast only two days ago that he was not seeking the position and his task was complete.

Doubts remain whether he will be able to form a government, but he will have to start immediately. The new prime minister faces a time limit on Monday to submit financial plans before lawmakers.

Political Challenges and Budgetary Strains

The Élysée said the president had assigned him to build a cabinet, and those close to the president indicated he had been given full authority to act.

The prime minister, who is one of Macron's closest allies, then released a comprehensive announcement on social media in which he consented to “out of duty” the assignment given to him by the president, to strive to secure a national budget by the year's conclusion and tackle the daily concerns of our compatriots.

Ideological disagreements over how to lower France's national debt and cut the budget deficit have led to the fall of two of the past three prime ministers in the last year, so his mission is daunting.

Government liabilities in the past months was nearly 114 percent of national income – the number three in the euro area – and this year's budget deficit is expected to amount to over five percent of economic output.

The premier said that “no-one will be able to shirk” the imperative of repairing the nation's budget. In just a year and a half before the completion of his mandate, he warned that those in the cabinet would have to delay their political goals.

Governing Without a Majority

Adding to the difficulty for Lecornu is that he will face a show of support in a National Assembly where Macron has lacks sufficient support to endorse his government. The president's popularity plummeted in the latest survey, according to a survey that put his support level on 14%.

The far-right leader of the far-right National Rally, which was left out of Macron's talks with party leaders on the end of the week, said that Lecornu's reappointment, by a president increasingly isolated at the official residence, is a poor decision.

His party would promptly introduce a challenge against a struggling administration, whose main motivation was dreading polls, Bardella added.

Forming Coalitions

The prime minister at least understands the obstacles in his path as he tries to establish a cabinet, because he has already spent two days this week meeting with factions that might support him.

By themselves, the moderate factions lack a majority, and there are splits within the right-leaning party who have assisted the administration since he failed to secure enough seats in the previous vote.

So Lecornu will look to left-wing parties for potential support.

To gain leftist support, the president's advisors suggested the president was thinking of postponing to some aspects of his highly contentious social security adjustments enacted last year which raised the retirement age from the early sixties.

It was insufficient of what left-wing leaders wanted, as they were hoping he would select a prime minister from their camp. Olivier Faure of the leftist party stated “since we've not been given any guarantees, we won't give any guarantee” to back the prime minister.

The Communist figure from the Communists stated following discussions that the left wanted genuine reform, and a leader from the moderate faction would not be accepted by the citizens.

Environmental party head the Green figure expressed shock Macron had given minimal offers to the progressives, adding that “all of this is going to turn out very badly”.

Katherine Allison
Katherine Allison

A productivity consultant and writer with over a decade of experience in workplace optimization and time management strategies.