🔗 Share this article

The French leader has asked his former prime minister to resume duties as head of government a mere four days after he resigned, causing a week of political upheaval and instability.

Macron declared towards the end of the week, shortly after gathering all the main parties in one place at the official residence, omitting the leaders of the extremist parties.

The decision to reinstate him came as a surprise, as he declared on television just 48 hours prior that he was not “chasing the job” and his “mission is over”.

Doubts remain whether he will be able to form a government, but he will have to act quickly. Lecornu faces a deadline on the start of the week to submit financial plans before the National Assembly.

Governing Obstacles and Budgetary Strains

The Élysée confirmed the president had “tasked [Lecornu] with forming a government”, and those close to the president implied he had been given “carte blanche” to proceed.

Lecornu, who is one of a trusted associate, then published a detailed message on social media in which he agreed to take on “out of duty” the assignment given to him by the president, to make every effort to provide France with a budget by the year's conclusion and tackle the everyday problems of our countrymen.

Ideological disagreements over how to bring down government borrowing and balance the books have led to the fall of two of the past three prime ministers in the last year, so his mission is enormous.

France's public debt earlier this year was close to 114% of national income – the third highest in the euro area – and this year's budget deficit is expected to reach 5.4 percent of GDP.

The premier said that everyone must contribute the imperative of fixing government accounts. With only 18 months before the end of Macron's presidency, he cautioned that anyone joining his government would have to delay their political goals.

Leading Without Support

Compounding the challenge for Lecornu is that he will face a vote of confidence in a legislative body where the president has is short of votes to support him. His public standing plummeted in the latest survey, according to an Elabe poll that put his public backing on 14%.

Jordan Bardella of the right-wing group, which was left out of Macron's talks with faction heads on the end of the week, commented that Lecornu's reappointment, by a president increasingly isolated at the Élysée, is a “bad joke”.

His party would immediately bring a challenge against a doomed coalition, whose main motivation was avoiding a vote, Bardella added.

Building Alliances

Lecornu at least understands the obstacles he faces as he tries to establish a cabinet, because he has already devoted 48 hours this week consulting parties that might support him.

Alone, the moderate factions are insufficient, and there are divisions within the traditionalists who have supported the administration since he lost his majority in recent polls.

So he will seek socialist factions for future alliances.

In an attempt to court the left, officials indicated the president was considering a delay to part of his divisive pension reforms passed in 2023 which raised the retirement age from 62 up to 64.

It was insufficient of what socialist figures desired, as they were anticipating he would choose a leader from their camp. The Socialist leader of the leftist party said without assurances, they would offer no support in a vote of confidence.

The Communist figure from the Communists stated following discussions that the left wanted real change, and a leader from the central bloc would not be endorsed by the public.

Greens leader Marine Tondelier expressed shock Macron had given minimal offers to the left, adding that outcomes would be negative.