France is Europe’s new ‘bad boy.’ Could a technocratic government save it?
Due to its recent political turmoil and instability, France has begun to be compared to Italy and has been replaced by Europe’s new “bad boy”.
So should France take a page from Italy’s book and consider a technocratic government?
President Emmanuel Macron is expected to choose a new prime minister by Friday evening after outgoing Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu led two days of last-ditch talks with political parties to try to resolve the current political impasse.
Lecornu declared on Wednesday evening that “the majority of MPs are against the dissolution (of parliament), that a platform for stability exists and that it is possible to adopt the budget by December 31.” He stated, “On this basis, the president will appoint a prime minister within the next 48 hours.”
But the most unexpected part came next.
While Lecornu did not reveal details about the potential structure of the new government, he suggested: “Whoever it is, it should completely break away from the 2027 presidential goals.”
“The situation is already difficult enough. Ultimately, we need a team that will roll up its sleeves and solve the country’s problems until the presidential election.”
Italian lessons
On Monday, shortly after his resignation, Lecornu deplored the “resurgence of partisan appetites, sometimes unrelated to the upcoming presidential election.”
Can a technocratic government elected based on technical expertise rather than popular vote accomplish this task?
Outgoing French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu makes a statement at the Hotel Matignon in Paris on October 6, 2025.
Stephane Mahe | Afp | Getty Images
This scenario could help pause the political crisis that has seen France get five prime ministers in less than two years.
It could also reassure investors and buy time until the 2027 presidential election — or at least by March 2026, when some have suggested an early parliamentary election could be held alongside a previously scheduled nationwide mayoral election in a bid to resolve the current impasse in the National Assembly.
In Italy since the 1990s central bankers have led numerous technocratic governments; Mario Draghi is the latest example of this.
In France, the name of François Villeroy de Galhau, governor of the Banque de France since 2015, continues to resurface as a rumored option for the latest Prime Ministerial candidacies.
But it is difficult to see how this will resonate with French public opinion, which is deeply and sometimes passionately political. This is perhaps one of the most political moments for the country in recent times, with tough decisions needed to pass the 2026 budget and bring the country’s budget deficit to close to 3 percent of GDP.
