FRANCE President Emmanuel Macron has reappointed Sebastien Lecornu as Prime Minister, days after his resignation, a decision that sparked outrage among the president’s strongest political rivals, who vowed to vote down the new government.
The ICIR reported that Lecornu, and his cabinet resigned on Monday, October 6, after he unveiled his ministerial lineup, a dramatic escalation of the country’s political crisis that sent stocks and the euro tumbling.
Lecornu, Macron’s fifth prime minister in just two years, held the position for only 27 days, and his government lasted 14 hours, making it the shortest-lived in modern French history.
President Macron instructed Lecornu the next day to hold a two day final talks with members of different political parties to establish a plan for the country’s stability and direction which he agreed to.
The latest report by Reuters indicates that Macron, 47, will hope loyalist Lecornu can draw enough support from a deeply divided parliament to pass a 2026 budget while many of Macron’s rivals have demanded he either call fresh parliamentary elections or resign.
The immediate reaction to Lecornu’s appointment from the far right and hard left was harsh, indicating that his second term as prime minister may prove just as difficult as his first, which ended on Monday.
According to reports, Lecornu’s top priority will be to present a budget to parliament before the end of Monday and Macron’s team said Lecornu had been given “carte blanche,” signaling that the president is granting his prime minister significant freedom to negotiate both the cabinet and the budget.
“I accept – out of duty – the mission entrusted to me by the President of the Republic to do everything possible to provide France with a budget by the end of the year and to address the daily life issues of our fellow citizens.
“We must put an end to this political crisis that exasperates the French people and to this instability that is harmful to France’s image and its interests,” Lecornu wrote on X.
Lecornu stated that anyone joining his government must set aside personal ambitions to succeed Macron in 2027, a race that has fueled instability within France’s fragile minority governments and divided legislature, vowing that his cabinet would “reflect renewal and diversity.”
Earlier, Macron met with leaders of mainstream parties to rally support for his choice, but sparked outrage among leftist groups after learning that none of their members would be appointed prime minister.
France’s efforts to fix its finances which will require either spending cuts or tax increases that no party can agree on have only worsened the sense of discontent.
The ICIR reported that protesters took to the streets across France two weeks ago, blocking roads, setting fire to rubbish bins, and clashing with police in a campaign to “Block Everything” in anger against Macron and proposed budget cuts.
Reports indicate that if the National Assembly fails to reach an agreement on the budget within the deadline, emergency measures may be required to maintain government operations next year under a roll-over budget.
Central to the latest budget talks are the left’s demands to reverse Macron’s 2023 pension reforms, which raised the retirement age, and to increase taxes on the wealthy.
These proposals have clashed with the conservatives, whose backing Macron also requires to approve the budget.
During Friday’s meeting, Macron proposed postponing the retirement age increase to 64 by one year, until 2028, a move some said is inadequate.
Nanji is an investigative journalist with the ICIR. She has years of experience in reporting and broadcasting human angle stories, gender inequalities, minority stories, and human rights issues. She has documented sexual war crimes in armed conflict, sex for grades in Nigerian Universities, harmful traditional practices and human trafficking.