FRANCE outgoing Prime Minister, Sebastien Lecornu, is set to begin two days of urgent talks on Tuesday with members of different political parties, a day after his unexpected resignation, as he tries to resolve the country’s ongoing political crisis.
Lecornu, in a surprising turn after tendering his resignation on Monday morning, later agreed to President Macron’s request to spend two days attempting to rescue his administration.
President Macron instructed Lecornu to “hold final talks by Wednesday evening to establish a plan for the country’s stability and direction,” a presidential official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said.
Recall that in early September, President Emmanuel Macron appointed 39-year-old Lecornu to form a new government after parliament ousted his predecessor over a widely opposed austerity budget.
Lecornu announced his new cabinet on Sunday evening, but it quickly faced backlash for including many figures from the previous government. By Monday morning, he had resigned.
Lecornu submitted his government’s resignation on Monday morning after the cabinet he announced on Sunday evening was rejected by both allies and opponents, making his administration the shortest in modern French history.
Reuters reported that politicians across different parties voiced confusion over the president’s actions, with some suggesting that Lecornu’s new assignment was simply a tactic to buy more time, nearly a month after he was nominated prime minister.
It remains unclear what Lecornu’s exact role or responsibilities will be during these talks.
Lecornu was scheduled to meet early Tuesday with several members of the conservative Les Républicains (LR) and the centrist Renaissance parties, including Senate President Gérard Larcher and National Assembly Speaker Yaël Braun-Pivet.
France’s current political crisis, the most serious since the establishment of the Fifth Republic in the country’s modern political system in 1958, began in June last year.
The ICIR reported that Macron called snap elections in mid-2024 for the lower house of parliament after the far-right made major gains in the European Parliament elections, which produced a deeply divided parliament with no clear majority, an unusual situation in a country whose system is built around a strong presidency supported by a solid parliamentary majority, and where coalition-building is uncommon.
Lecornu became Macron’s third prime minister since those elections, and the president now faces limited options moving forward, analysts say.
The constitution does not prevent Macron from reappointing Lecornu; meanwhile, opposition parties have urged the president to either dissolve parliament or resign.
Recall that The ICIR reported that the former Prime Minister François Bayrou’s government collapsed in September following a failed confidence vote, raising uncertainty over President Emmanuel Macron’s future and the stability of the eurozone’s second-largest economy.
The 74-year-old political veteran, who had been in office for just nine months, triggered the vote himself in an attempt to pressure lawmakers into supporting his proposal.
Protesters have taken to the streets across France for weeks, blocking roads, setting fire to rubbish bins, and clashing with police in a campaign to “Block Everything” in anger against President Emmanuel Macron and proposed budget cuts.
Many protesters directed their frustration at President Macron, who is already grappling with political upheaval.
Teachers, train drivers, pharmacists, hospital staff and other workers embarked on strike in France on September 18, while teenagers blocked access to their high schools, joining nationwide demonstrations against planned budget cuts.
Workers and other protesters have continued demanding the suspension of the former government’s fiscal policies, increased investment in public services, higher taxes on the wealthy, and the reversal of a widely opposed reform that raised the retirement age.
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.