French President Emmanuel Macron has asked Sébastien Lecornu to return as prime minister, just four days after he resigned, in a dramatic twist to a week of political upheaval that has left France’s government in limbo.
The Élysée Palace confirmed the decision late on Friday night, shortly after Macron held crisis talks with party leaders notably excluding those from the far right and far left.
Lecornu’s return came as a surprise, after he told French television earlier this week that he was not seeking the post again.
“I am not chasing the job, my mission is over,” he said on national TV two days before his reappointment.
Despite those words, Macron’s office said the president had “tasked [Lecornu] with forming a government”, adding that the 39-year-old ally had been given “carte blanche” to act.
In a post on X, Lecornu confirmed he was accepting the challenge “out of duty,” writing:
“Out of duty, I accept the mission entrusted to me by the president, to do everything to provide France with a budget by the end of the year and respond to the everyday problems of our compatriots.”
Lecornu, who once described himself as a “soldier-monk,” said Friday night that he would “do everything to succeed in this mission.”
A Budget Deadline and Political Minefield
The reappointed premier faces an immediate and daunting task presenting next year’s national budget to parliament by Monday, despite a divided legislature and growing resistance from all sides.
France’s debt burden is near record levels. Public debt stands at 114% of GDP, the third highest in the eurozone, while the budget deficit is forecast to reach 5.4% of GDP this year.
Lecornu has made fiscal discipline a condition for taking the job, warning that “no-one will be able to shirk” the need to restore France’s finances. With only 18 months left in Macron’s presidency, he also cautioned that ministers must set aside “presidential ambitions” until the end of the term.
But Lecornu must first survive a confidence vote in a National Assembly where Macron lacks a majority and his approval ratings have plunged to a record 14%, according to the Elabe poll released this week.
The far right immediately condemned the reappointment.
Jordan Bardella, leader of the National Rally, called Lecornu’s return a “bad joke” from a president “more than ever isolated and disconnected at the Élysée.”
He said his party would table an immediate vote of no confidence, calling the coalition “doomed” and arguing it existed “only out of fear of an election.”
Lecornu’s previous government collapsed barely three weeks after it was formed, following a dispute with Bruno Retailleau, the leader of the conservative Republicans, who criticised a ministerial appointment and later declared the centrist-conservative alliance dead.
Retailleau, who is seen as harboring presidential ambitions, has made clear he will not support “Lecornu II.” Still, divisions persist within his party, with some moderates open to dialogue.
To build a workable majority, Lecornu is now courting left-wing parties a high-stakes gamble for Macron’s centrist bloc.
In a possible olive branch, Macron’s team has signalled a delay in implementing parts of his controversial pension reform, which raised the retirement age from 62 to 64.
That gesture, however, risks alienating centrist allies who fought to pass the reform last year, while failing to satisfy the left.
Olivier Faure, leader of the Socialists, said:
“Since we’ve not been given any guarantees, we won’t give any guarantee [to back the prime minister] in a vote of confidence.”
Fabien Roussel of the Communist Party added that the left wanted “real change,” warning that “a prime minister from the president’s centrist camp would not be accepted by the French people.”
Green Party leader Marine Tondelier said she was “stunned” by Macron’s offer to the left, warning, “All of this is going to turn out very badly.”
Economic Anxiety and Growing Fatigue
The reappointment also comes amid economic anxiety. The Bank of France projects growth of 0.7% this year, but governor François Villeroy de Galhau said political instability had already shaved 0.2% off potential growth.
“Like many in France, I’ve had enough of this political mess,” he told RTL radio. “It’s time for compromises that’s not a dirty word even forming coalitions.”
If Lecornu fails to form a government in the coming days, analysts warn France could plunge into deeper political paralysis, with markets on edge and economic confidence eroding further.
For now, Macron’s unexpected recall of his once-departed premier underscores both the depth of France’s political gridlock and the limited options remaining for a president running out of time and allies.
Erizia Rubyjeana
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