Macron reappoints Sébastien Lecornu as French prime minister | France
French president Emmanuel Macron reappointed centrist ally Sébastien Lecornu as prime minister; Just days after Lecornu resigned in dramatic fashion and his new government collapsed just 14 hours later.
Lecornu said he had agreed to return to his post “out of duty” and that he would “do everything possible to provide France with a budget by the end of the year and to solve the daily life problems of our citizens.”
He added: “We must put an end to this political crisis that infuriates the French people, this instability that damages France’s image and interests.”
Macron’s unprecedented move to reappoint Lecornu, just days after formally accepting his resignation, comes at a time when the political crisis in France is worsening.
Shannon Seban, a lawmaker from Macron’s centrist Renaissance party, said Lecornu’s return was crucial to ensuring “stability” for France. Outgoing centrist education minister Élisabeth Borne said Lecornu could “make a compromise for France”.
But opposition parties saw this as a sign that Macron, who has 18 months left in his term as president, is refusing to expand the government to include other political views reflecting the divided parliament.
Lecornu is now under pressure to quickly form a government made up of new faces with a diversity of political views, but this is looking increasingly difficult.
Jordan Bardella, head of Marine Le Pen’s far-right National Rally, wrote on social media that Lecornu’s reappointment was a “bad joke,” a “disgrace to democracy” and a “humiliation for the French people.” He said his party would support a vote of no confidence in Lecornu as soon as possible.
Parties on the left expressed surprise and criticism. The socialist party said it “did not agree” not to participate in the no-confidence vote in Leconru. “Incredible,” Green Party leader Marine Tondelier wrote of Lecornu’s appointment.
Macron is facing the worst domestic crisis since he first won the presidency in 2017. Lecornu resigned dramatically on Monday, just 14 hours after appointing a new government. He resigned after facing harsh criticism from opposition parties for refusing to broaden the government to different political groups and viewpoints reflecting France’s divided parliament.
He resigned before he even attended his first cabinet meeting or made his first policy speech in parliament. Weeks ago, his predecessor, François Bayrou, was fired over his proposed budget cuts.
Lecornu, 39, previously served as defense minister and was known for his work to increase French military spending. Last month, he became the third French prime minister in just a year as the country drifted from one political crisis to another since Macron’s inconclusive gamble on early elections last year.
Parliament is divided between three blocs: left, far right and centre, but there is no clear majority. Next year’s budget is due to be decided within weeks, even though political parties are at loggerheads and there has been no stable government for weeks.
Lecornu’s reappointment comes at the end of a dramatic day in which several opposition parties were invited to the presidential palace to meet Macron, and many left saying they had not been listened to. One participant said it was like “talking to a wall.”
Julien Aubert, vice president of the right-wing Les Républicains, which has so far supported Macron’s centrists in government, said: “To reappoint the same prime minister after such a circus is a provocation; the messages are terrible.”
Others were more accommodating. Les Républicains’ spokesman in parliament, Vincent Jeanbrun, said: “Lecornu’s reappointment gives a chance for stability.”
Macron’s approval ratings have fallen to their lowest level in history. Essayist and commentator Alain Minc told BFMTV that Macron is no longer very popular and is “politically radioactive”.
Lecornu must try to appoint his government this weekend in time for the first cabinet meeting on Monday to begin the long process of reaching parliamentary agreement on the 2026 budget.
French central bank governor François Villeroy de Galhau predicts that the political uncertainty in France in recent weeks will have an impact on business, consumer confidence and economic growth. “Uncertainty is the number one enemy of growth,” he told RTL radio.
In the French political system, the president, who is the head of state and has authority over foreign policy and national security, directly appoints a prime minister as head of government to handle internal affairs.
