🔗 Share this article

President Emmanuel Macron has called upon his former prime minister to resume duties as the nation's premier only four days after he stepped down, causing a week of high drama and crisis.

The president made the announcement towards the end of the week, hours after gathering key political groups in one place at the Élysée Palace, excluding the representatives of the political extremes.

His reappointment was unexpected, as he declared on broadcast just 48 hours prior that he was not “chasing the job” and his role had concluded.

Doubts remain whether he will be able to assemble a cabinet, but he will have to act quickly. The new prime minister faces a time limit on the start of the week to present the annual budget before parliament.

Political Challenges and Economic Pressures

Officials announced the president had “tasked [Lecornu] with forming a government”, and his advisors implied he had been given complete freedom to proceed.

The prime minister, who is one of the president's key supporters, then released a comprehensive announcement on social media in which he agreed to take on as an obligation the mission entrusted to me by the president, to strive to finalize financial plans by the year's conclusion and tackle the common issues of our countrymen.

Ideological disagreements over how to lower the country's public debt and reduce the fiscal shortfall have caused the resignation of multiple premiers in the past twelve months, so his challenge is enormous.

France's public debt earlier this year was almost 114% of gross domestic product – the number three in the currency union – and this year's budget deficit is projected to amount to over five percent of GDP.

Lecornu stated that everyone must contribute the imperative of restoring the nation's budget. With only 18 months before the completion of his mandate, he warned that anyone joining his government would have to set aside their presidential ambitions.

Ruling Amid Division

Compounding the challenge for Lecornu is that he will face a show of support in a National Assembly where the president has lacks sufficient support to back him. The president's popularity plummeted recently, according to an Elabe poll that put his public backing on 14 percent.

Jordan Bardella of the right-wing group, which was excluded of consultations with political chiefs on the end of the week, said that Lecornu's reappointment, by a president “more than ever isolated and disconnected” at the presidential palace, is a misstep.

They would immediately bring a vote of no confidence against a failing government, whose only reason for being was fear of an election, Bardella added.

Forming Coalitions

The prime minister at least understands the obstacles ahead as he tries to establish a cabinet, because he has already spent two days recently talking to political groups that might support him.

By themselves, the centrist parties lack a majority, and there are disagreements within the conservative Republicans who have helped prop up Macron's governments since he failed to secure enough seats in recent polls.

So he will seek progressive groups for future alliances.

As a gesture to progressives, the president's advisors indicated the president was considering a delay to some aspects of his divisive retirement changes passed in 2023 which extended working life from the early sixties.

That fell short of what progressive chiefs hoped for, as they were expecting he would appoint a leader from their camp. The Socialist leader of the leftist party commented “since we've not been given any guarantees, we won't give any guarantee” for the premier.

The Communist figure from the left-wing party said after meeting the president that the progressive camp wanted substantive shifts, and a leader from the central bloc would not be endorsed by the citizens.

Greens leader the Green figure said she was “stunned” Macron had offered the left almost nothing to the left, adding that the situation would deteriorate.