French President Emmanuel Macron has reappointed Sébastien Lecornu as Prime Minister. This is a shocking and sudden action that comes just days after Lecornu announced his retirement from the office on October 6th. Many of Macron’s political friends and the entire opposition have strongly opposed the decision, which they regard as an attempt to keep France from getting into even more political trouble.
Lecornu’s turbulent time in office and reappointment
Lecornu’s first term was quite short; he quit less than 24 hours after announcing his new government. The former Prime Minister said that the major parties in the National Assembly were unwilling to work together and wouldn’t budge, which is why he left so suddenly.
Political Instability: Since Elisabeth Borne stepped down, Lecornu has become the fifth Prime Minister. This shows how unstable France’s politics have been in the past two years. Before him, Gabriel Attal, Michel Barneir, and Francois Bayrou held the job.
Macron’s plan is to immediately reappoint Lecornu, a personal friend, in order to restore political balance and keep his administration from falling apart. The President’s main goal is to prevent quick elections, which he thinks would lead to a new, more chaotic time.
The Budget Deadline: Lecornu has a big problem right now: he has to come up with a budget for 2026 by Monday so that the law may be passed through the normal legislative process before the end of the year. If they didn’t do this, they would have to pass an emergency bill to keep the government running, which would show how weak Macron is even more.
Lecornu took up the job “out of duty,” saying late Friday, “We must put an end to this political crisis, which is making the French people angry, and this instability, which is bad for France’s image and interests.” If the government doesn’t pass the budget, Macron will have to deal with more calls for him to call a legislative election or possibly quit.
The Unified Opposition Speaks Out Against the Reversal
The abrupt reappointment was met with a lot of criticism from all sides of the political spectrum. Many saw it as an indication that Macron was isolated and not listening to the wishes of a divided parliament.
Far-Right Backlash: Jordan Bardella, head of Marine Le Pen’s far-right National Rally (RN), said Lecornu’s return was a “bad joke” and a “humiliation” for the French people. Bardella said that the National Rally would “immediately censure this team” with a motion of no confidence. Marine Le Pen, the leader of the RN, said that allied parties were helping with a “shameful manipulation.”
Left-Wing Scorn: Stéphane Trousssel, a spokesperson for the Socialist Party, called the reappointment a “farce” and a “bad joke for millions of people who want change.” Marine Tondelier, the leader of the Green Party, said she couldn’t believe it and said Macron should have let the left and the ecologists run the country.
Most of Macron’s opponents agree that his choice to reappoint a loyalist makes the crisis worse instead of better since it ignores requests for a government that reflects the divided legislature.