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

Sébastien Lecornu portrait
Sébastien Lecornu served for only less than four weeks before his unexpected stepping down earlier this week

The French leader has requested his former prime minister to come back as the nation's premier only four days after he stepped down, triggering a week of political upheaval and political turmoil.

Macron declared on Friday evening, shortly after consulting with key political groups collectively at the Élysée Palace, except for the figures of the political extremes.

The decision to reinstate him shocked many, as he said on broadcast recently that he was not “chasing the job” and his task was complete.

It is not even certain whether he will be able to form a government, but he will have to act quickly. He faces a cut-off on the start of the week to put next year's budget before the National Assembly.

Governing Obstacles and Budgetary Strains

The presidency announced the president had “tasked [Lecornu] with forming a government”, and Macron's entourage implied he had been given complete freedom to act.

Lecornu, who is one of Macron's closest allies, then published a long statement on an online platform in which he consented to responsibly the assignment given to him by the president, to do everything to finalize financial plans by the end of the year and respond to the everyday problems of our fellow citizens.

Ideological disagreements over how to reduce France's national debt and cut the budget deficit have caused the fall of multiple premiers in the past twelve months, so his challenge is enormous.

Government liabilities recently was nearly 114 percent of economic output (GDP) – the third largest in the euro area – and this year's budget deficit is estimated to hit over five percent of the economy.

The premier said that “no-one will be able to shirk” the imperative of restoring government accounts. Given the limited time before the completion of his mandate, he cautioned that those in the cabinet would have to put on hold their aspirations for higher office.

Governing Without a Majority

What makes it even harder for Lecornu is that he will face a parliamentary test in a parliament where Macron has no majority to back him. His public standing hit a record low recently, according to an Elabe poll that put his support level on 14%.

The far-right leader of the National Rally party, which was left out of Macron's talks with party leaders on the end of the week, remarked that the decision, by a president “more than ever isolated and disconnected” at the official residence, is a misstep.

His party would promptly introduce a vote of no confidence against a struggling administration, whose sole purpose was fear of an election, the leader stated.

Building Alliances

The prime minister at least is aware of the challenges in his path as he tries to build a coalition, because he has already used time lately consulting parties that might join his government.

On their own, the moderate factions lack a majority, and there are disagreements within the traditionalists who have assisted Macron's governments since he failed to secure enough seats in elections last year.

So he will look to progressive groups for possible backing.

To gain leftist support, officials suggested the president was thinking of postponing to part of his highly contentious retirement changes implemented recently which extended working life from the early sixties.

The offer was inadequate of what socialist figures wanted, as they were hoping he would choose a prime minister from their side. Olivier Faure of the leftist party stated “since we've not been given any guarantees, we won't give any guarantee” for the premier.

Fabien Roussel from the Communists stated following discussions that the progressive camp wanted substantive shifts, and a prime minister from the president's centrist camp would not be accepted by the public.

Greens leader the Green figure said she was “stunned” the president had provided few concessions to the left, adding that “all of this is going to turn out very badly”.

Laura Patton
Laura Patton

A passionate writer and productivity enthusiast sharing tips and stories to inspire others.