🔗 Share this article

The French leader has requested Sébastien Lecornu to come back as head of government only four days after he resigned, triggering a stretch of political upheaval and instability.

The president stated on Friday evening, hours after consulting with leading factions collectively at the Élysée Palace, except for the representatives of the political extremes.

His reappointment came as a surprise, as he declared on broadcast only two days ago that he was not seeking the position and his “mission is over”.

It is not even certain whether he will be able to establish a ruling coalition, but he will have to act quickly. Lecornu faces a cut-off on Monday to present the annual budget before parliament.

Leadership Hurdles and Budgetary Strains

Officials announced the president had assigned him to build a cabinet, and his advisors implied he had been given complete freedom to proceed.

The prime minister, who is one of Macron's closest allies, then published a comprehensive announcement on an online platform in which he accepted as an obligation the assignment given to him by the president, to do everything to secure a national budget by the end of the year and address the daily concerns of our compatriots.

Partisan conflicts over how to lower the country's public debt and reduce the fiscal shortfall have resulted in the fall of several leaders in the recent period, so his task is daunting.

The nation's debt recently was nearly 114 percent of gross domestic product – the third highest in the eurozone – and the annual fiscal gap is expected to amount to 5.4% of economic output.

Lecornu said that no one can avoid the imperative of repairing France's public finances. In just a year and a half before the conclusion of his term, he warned that anyone joining his government would have to put on hold their aspirations for higher office.

Governing Without a Majority

Compounding the challenge for Lecornu is that he will face a show of support in a parliament where Macron has no majority to support him. The president's popularity plummeted this week, according to research that put his public backing on 14 percent.

The far-right leader of the National Rally party, which was excluded of the president's discussions with party leaders on the end of the week, said that the decision, by a president increasingly isolated at the Élysée, is a “bad joke”.

The National Rally would quickly propose a challenge against a struggling administration, whose only reason for being was dreading polls, he continued.

Seeking Support

Lecornu at least is aware of the challenges he faces as he tries to build a coalition, because he has already devoted 48 hours recently meeting with factions that might join his government.

Alone, the moderate factions lack a majority, and there are splits within the traditionalists who have assisted Macron's governments since he lost his majority in the previous vote.

So Lecornu will consider socialist factions for future alliances.

To gain leftist support, the president's advisors hinted the president was considering a delay to portions of his controversial pension reforms implemented recently which increased the pension age from 62 up to 64.

That fell short of what progressive chiefs wanted, as they were expecting he would appoint a premier from their side. Olivier Faure of the leftist party said lacking commitments, they would withhold backing in a vote of confidence.

Fabien Roussel from the Communists stated following discussions that the progressive camp wanted real change, and a prime minister from the moderate faction would not be supported by the French people.

Environmental party head Marine Tondelier said she was “stunned” the president had provided few concessions to the progressives, adding that the situation would deteriorate.