President Emmanuel Macron Brings Back Sébastien Lecornu as French PM Following Days of Unrest

Sébastien Lecornu portrait
The politician served for only under a month before his unexpected departure recently

The French leader has called upon his former prime minister to come back as French prime minister just days after he left the post, sparking a stretch of high drama and crisis.

The president stated on Friday evening, hours after gathering leading factions together at the presidential palace, omitting the representatives of the political extremes.

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

There is uncertainty whether he will be able to assemble a cabinet, but he will have to start immediately. He faces a cut-off on Monday to put next year's budget before parliament.

Leadership Hurdles and Budgetary Strains

The presidency said the president had assigned him to build a cabinet, and his advisors indicated he had been given full authority to make decisions.

The prime minister, who is one of a trusted associate, then released a detailed message on X in which he consented to as an obligation the assignment assigned by the president, to strive to provide France with a budget by the end of the year and respond to the common issues of our fellow citizens.

Political divisions over how to reduce the country's public debt and reduce the fiscal shortfall have resulted in the ouster of two of the past three prime ministers in the recent period, so his mission is daunting.

The nation's debt in the past months was close to 114% of gross domestic product – the third highest in the currency union – and the annual fiscal gap is estimated to reach over five percent of economic output.

The premier stated that everyone must contribute the necessity of fixing the nation's budget. Given the limited time before the end of Macron's presidency, he advised that anyone joining his government would have to delay their presidential ambitions.

Ruling Amid Division

Adding to the difficulty for the prime minister is that he will face a show of support in a National Assembly where the president has no majority to endorse his government. His public standing hit a record low in the latest survey, according to an Elabe poll that put his support level on 14%.

The far-right leader of the right-wing group, which was excluded of consultations with political chiefs on the end of the week, said that the decision, 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 sole purpose was avoiding a vote, he continued.

Building Alliances

Lecornu at least knows the pitfalls in his path as he tries to build a coalition, because he has already devoted 48 hours recently talking to political groups that might support him.

Alone, the centrist parties cannot form a government, and there are divisions within the conservative Republicans who have supported Macron's governments since he failed to secure enough seats in the previous vote.

So he will look to socialist factions for future alliances.

As a gesture to progressives, officials hinted the president was thinking of postponing to portions of his controversial retirement changes enacted last year which increased the pension age from 62 to 64.

The offer was inadequate of what left-wing leaders desired, as they were anticipating he would appoint a prime minister from their side. Olivier Faure of the leftist party stated lacking commitments, they would withhold backing in a vote of confidence.

The Communist figure from the Communists commented post-consultation that the left wanted real change, and a premier from the moderate faction would not be accepted by the public.

Environmental party head Marine Tondelier remarked she was surprised the president had offered the left almost nothing to the left, adding that outcomes would be negative.

Rebecca Lopez
Rebecca Lopez

An architect and travel writer with a passion for Italian landmarks and coastal architecture, sharing expert insights and personal experiences.