Why the French Prime Minister Stepped Down Following Only 27 Days – & What Could Follow
France's PM, Sébastien Lecornu, stepped down together with the cabinet, less than 30 days after his appointment and within hours of the new cabinet being announced, significantly worsening the country's governmental turmoil.
It is the latest shock development in a series of events that suggest France, the EU’s second-biggest member state, faces growing governance challenges. Here is a look at recent developments, the causes and future possibilities.
What Just Happened?
Lecornu, after less than a month in office, tendered his resignation along with the entire cabinet on Monday, only half a day following the ministerial lineup reveal. This made him the briefest-serving PM since the Fifth Republic began.
Aged 39, former defence minister, aligned with the president, served as the fifth PM after Macron's second term and the third post-parliament dissolution triggering snap polls conducted months ago.
He attributed the resignation to political rigidity, saying he had been “ready to compromise, but every party wanted others accept their entire agenda.” He noted it “would require little to succeed,” but “ideological stubbornness” and “personal ambitions” stood in the way, according to him.
The resignation spooked investors, with the CAC 40 stock index dropping 2% and the euro, 0.7%. France’s debt-to-GDP ratio ranks third in the EU after Greece and Italy, nearly double the 60% permitted under EU rules – as is its projected budget deficit of nearly 6%.
Why Did It Happen?
The roots of the crisis stem from last year's sudden polls, which produced a split assembly divided between three nearly equal factions: the left, the far right and Macron’s own centre-right alliance, none nearing a majority.
France’s financial crisis has only added to that instability, as have the 2027 presidential race. Macron cannot stand again, as parties position themselves before the vote, compromise in the assembly has become even harder to find.
He encountered the tough job to approve spending cuts through the divided assembly aimed at reining in the large fiscal gap – a task that defeated his two immediate predecessors, removed by lawmakers for similar efforts.
The final catalyst leading to his exit appears to have been response from conservative parties regarding the ministerial team. The party said the largely unchanged lineup did not reflect a significant shift with past politics that Lecornu had promised.
Revealing key ministries last Sunday drew strong objections from across the political spectrum, with allies and opponents denouncing it for being too conservative or insufficiently so, and threatening to topple the new government.
Reappointing Bruno Le Maire, Macron’s economy minister for seven years, to government as defence minister particularly enraged politicians from most parties, viewing it as proof that Macron’s pro-business economic policies was non-negotiable.
Future Scenarios
The far-right National Rally led by Le Pen and Bardella urged the president to dissolve parliament and hold fresh elections, while the radical left France Unbowed has reiterated longstanding calls for the president himself to step down.
Macron has three main options, each risky and none very appealing. First, he might appoint another PM. A figure from within his own camp now appears unlikely, and a centrist left candidate could undermine his pension changes.
Alternatively, selecting a staunch conservative would infuriate the left bloc. Given the pressing need to achieve a minimum of consensus to at least pass a budget for this year, experts propose he may try to turn to a non-party political technocrat.
Next, he may dissolve parliament and initiate new elections, an option he has resisted and which polls suggest would probably return another divided parliament – or potentially usher in an RN government.
His final option would be to resign, however, he has refused to leave prior to the 2027 vote – a vote seen as a historic crossroads in French politics, as Le Pen eyes a potential victory.
