Sébastien Lecornu has once again been appointed as France’s Prime Minister, marking his second such role in a single week. This re-appointment comes despite his previous government lasting a mere 836 minutes, leaving many to question the likelihood of greater success this time around.
President Emmanuel Macron, after considerable delay into Friday evening, extended the invitation to form a new government to his close centrist ally, Mr. Lecornu. This move signals a potential exhaustion of other viable candidates.
“The President appears to become more entrenched in his initial stance as he grows increasingly isolated,” commented Marine Tondelier, leader of the Green Party, following a recent meeting between Macron and various party leaders.
France, a prominent nuclear power and permanent member of the U.N. Security Council, prides itself on a certain image — one that doesn’t align with a government collapsing in less than a day. The nation’s slide into such dramatic, almost farcical, political upheaval has sparked widespread concern. Even Marine Le Pen, Macron’s leading rival from the far-right, has openly criticized the situation as a “desperate, pathetic spectacle.”
Le Pen’s condemnation was just one voice in a chorus of criticism directed at Macron’s decision. Lecornu now faces the daunting task of re-attempting to form a government in a nation grappling with a profound institutional crisis. This all unfolds under a president who after more than eight years in office is more isolated and unpopular than ever.
Jordan Bardella, the influential head of Le Pen’s anti-immigrant National Rally party, didn’t mince words, calling “Lecornu II” a “bad joke, a democratic ignominy and a humiliation for the French people.” His party is advocating for Macron to dissolve the currently gridlocked Parliament and initiate new legislative elections, a move that could potentially see the National Rally achieve a governing majority.
Macron’s repeated choices for Prime Minister this year—three distinct individuals from his centrist or center-right faction, with one even being re-appointed for a second time on Friday—have become increasingly perplexing. This pattern has led frustrated former allies to demand answers for his unwavering stance, or even his resignation.
Macron’s apprehension about potential reversals to his economic reforms—such as raising the retirement age or reducing corporate taxes—has seemingly prevented him from seeking alliances with the center-left. This is notable given that a fragmented coalition of left and far-left parties secured the most seats in the 2024 legislative elections.
Paradoxically, with a diminished mandate, he has sought to consolidate more power.
Such a posture is widely perceived as dismissive of the public’s will, a stance rarely well-received in France.
The widespread public dismay was encapsulated by Gabriel Attal, a former protégé and Macron’s earlier pick for Prime Minister in early 2024. This week, Attal stated, “I no longer understand the decisions of the president,” suggesting these choices reveal a “furious pursuit of the maintenance of his power.”
Prominent political analyst Alain Duhamel warned of a precarious balance: “We are clinging on perilously between a political crisis and a crisis of the regime, where either we have a government so fragile it could fall any day, or parliamentary elections that will certainly hand victory to Ms. Le Pen.”
As President, Macron retains powers such as appointing a prime minister and dissolving Parliament for new legislative elections. However, he lacks a majority in the National Assembly and no longer commands a loyal centrist party. His political ideology, “Macronism,” a blend of ideas once designed to bridge the left-right divide, has effectively crumbled.
In essence, with only 18 months remaining in his term, Macron’s domestic political position is significantly weakened, despite his continued international influence.
A recent Elabe poll, published in the business daily Les Echos, revealed a stark decline in his approval, plummeting to just 14 percent of the electorate—a historic low for a French president and his most unpopular standing to date.
Despite this widespread disapproval, Macron’s approach remains unyielding, exemplified by his re-appointment of Mr. Lecornu. With staunch opposition from both the far-right National Rally and the far-left France Unbowed, alongside discontent from the center-left Socialists and conservative Republicans, the longevity of a second Lecornu government appears highly uncertain.
As legal scholars Denis Baranger and Olivier Beaud articulated in Le Monde on Friday, Macron “needs a parliamentary majority to support him.” They further asserted that his failure to grasp this fundamental reality has left him “totally isolated” and plunged the nation into an unparalleled institutional crisis.
The swift collapse of Sébastien Lecornu’s initial, short-lived government this week—lasting less than a day—reportedly stemmed from Macron’s insistence on appointing Bruno Le Maire as defense minister. Le Maire, a former finance minister, is currently under scrutiny for France’s escalating $4 trillion national debt.
Macron saw Le Maire’s close ties with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz as crucial for integrating European military power amid continental conflict. However, this unexpected choice was unacceptable to Bruno Retailleau, the right-wing interior minister. Retailleau, caught off guard, swiftly signaled the end for the government Lecornu had spent nearly a month painstakingly building.
This incident serves as yet another example of the recurring political fiascos plaguing France.
These events trace back to Macron’s still-unexplained decision to call parliamentary elections in June 2024, a move he was not compelled to make. The aftermath has left the National Assembly deeply fractured into three main blocs: the nationalist far-right, a combined left and far-left, and a weakened center whose allegiance to Macron is visibly dwindling.
The current Parliament is undeniably dysfunctional. Yet, France urgently requires a budget to address its escalating deficit and national debt.
In principle, Lecornu is expected to present the budget next week for approval by year-end. Given the fragmented parliamentary landscape, securing its passage appears incredibly challenging, and even if successful, the survival of his government beyond that point remains highly doubtful.
Nevertheless, Macron is reluctant to dissolve Parliament, a move that could potentially lead to Mr. Bardella becoming his prime minister and defining the remainder of his presidency.
For eight decades since World War II, France has steadfastly aimed to prevent the far-right from gaining power, a resolve born from the disgrace and humiliation of the Vichy Government’s collaboration with the Nazis.
“This is not going to end well,” concluded Ms. Tondelier.