France’s political landscape was thrown into fresh turmoil this week after Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu abruptly resigned, just weeks after taking office. The move, confirmed by the Élysée Palace on Monday, October 6, 2025, deepens an already acute crisis for President Emmanuel Macron’s government, which has struggled to find stability amid a fractured parliament, mounting public discontent, and severe economic challenges.
Lecornu’s resignation, coming mere hours after he unveiled his new cabinet lineup, marks him as the shortest-serving head of government in modern French history, according to multiple news agencies including the Gujarat Samachar and France’s own state media. This sudden exit follows a series of rapid-fire leadership changes at the top of Macron’s administration, with Lecornu being the fifth—or, by some counts, seventh—prime minister since 2022. The revolving door at the Hôtel Matignon has left many French citizens and international observers alike wondering: can France’s government chart a stable course, or is the country destined for further upheaval?
In a public statement, Lecornu explained his decision in stark terms: “The conditions were not fulfilled for me to carry out my function as prime minister,” he said, denouncing the “partisan appetites” of various factions that, in his view, forced his resignation. The outgoing prime minister’s frustration echoed the broader sense of gridlock in the French political system, where efforts to build cross-party consensus have repeatedly faltered. As France News Agency reported, Lecornu’s cabinet—unveiled on Sunday, October 5—was intended as an overture to both allies and rivals. Yet, the lineup, which included familiar faces such as Bruno Le Maire (shifted from Economy to Defence Minister) and Roland Lescure (appointed as Economy Minister), was swiftly criticized for representing little more than continuity with past governments.
The backlash was immediate and loud. Jordan Bardella, leader of the far-right National Rally (RN), dismissed the cabinet as “just continuity of the old government” in a widely shared social media post. On the left, Mathilde Panot, president of the La France Insoumise parliamentary group, had previously condemned Lecornu’s very appointment as a “provocation” and accused Macron of clinging to policies that favor the wealthy minority. Even within Macron’s own centrist alliance, the return of Bruno Le Maire as Defence Minister sparked outrage among conservative Republicans, who felt the reshuffle failed to represent a true break from the past.
Lecornu’s appointment as prime minister on September 9, 2025, came in the wake of the dramatic ouster of his predecessor, François Bayrou, whose government collapsed after losing a parliamentary confidence vote over a contentious austerity budget. Bayrou’s resignation, and Macron’s swift move to install Lecornu—a close ally and former Defence Minister—signaled the president’s urgency to stabilize the government and address France’s worsening fiscal situation. But the political math simply didn’t change: France’s National Assembly remains deeply divided into three blocs—the president’s centrist alliance, a left-wing coalition, and the far-right National Rally. None holds a workable majority, and each is more interested in positioning for the 2027 presidential race than in compromise.
The stakes are high, and not just politically. France’s deficit is hovering near 6% of GDP—twice the European Union limit—and its national debt is among the highest in the bloc. Passing an austerity budget through such a fragmented parliament has already cost two prime ministers their jobs, and Lecornu quickly realized he would likely face the same fate. As Chinese News Agency noted, the new cabinet lineup did little to win over skeptics, with many seeing it as a missed opportunity for real change.
After resigning, Lecornu did not disappear from the stage entirely. President Macron tasked him with leading what the Élysée called “ultimate negotiations” before Wednesday night, October 8. Lecornu confirmed on social media that he had accepted the assignment, stating, “I will tell the head of state Wednesday evening if this is possible or not, so that he can draw all the necessary conclusions.” However, he made it clear that, regardless of the outcome, he would not return as prime minister—a testament to how toxic and thankless the role has become in the current climate.
The president now faces a daunting set of choices, none of them easy. The most immediate option is to appoint a new prime minister. But as Lecornu’s rapid downfall demonstrated, any candidate from Macron’s own centrist alliance is likely to face the same hostility from opposition parties. Macron could try to reach across the aisle, perhaps nominating a moderate from the opposition or even a technocrat seen as politically neutral. Yet, this path is fraught with risk: a left-leaning appointment could force Macron to compromise on signature economic reforms, while a right-leaning choice might alienate the left and trigger more no-confidence votes. And with the 2027 presidential election already on the horizon, few ambitious politicians are eager to take on what many now view as a poisoned chalice.
Another possibility is to dissolve the National Assembly and call snap elections, something constitutionally permissible since the one-year limit after the last dissolution has now passed. But as France News Agency and other outlets point out, the last snap election in 2024 only deepened the current impasse, producing the hung parliament that has paralyzed government action. Fresh elections could simply reproduce the same divisions—or even strengthen the extremes on the left and right. Macron has so far expressed reluctance to gamble on another dissolution, but if the deadlock persists and France remains unable to pass a budget, pressure to return to the voters may become overwhelming.
Some in the opposition, particularly on the hard left, have gone further, calling for Macron’s resignation or even impeachment. Under the French constitution, the president can be removed from office for a “breach of duty manifestly incompatible with the exercise of the mandate,” but the process is highly complex and has never succeeded. Macron, for his part, has repeatedly pledged to serve out his term until 2027, insisting he will not abandon his mandate.
In the meantime, France is under a caretaker government, with Lecornu and his ministers limited to managing day-to-day affairs. They cannot introduce major reforms or make significant appointments. The most urgent task—adoption of the 2026 budget—has been thrown into limbo. By law, the government should submit a budget proposal by October 13 to allow for proper debate and constitutional review, but this deadline is now impossible to meet. Parliament may be forced to vote only on the revenue section of the budget, or, failing that, pass a “special law” to temporarily extend the previous year’s budget, as happened in 2025. Such stopgap measures would keep public services running while political negotiations drag on, but do little to address the underlying instability.
As France stares down yet another leadership crisis, the country’s political future remains uncertain. With no easy solutions in sight and the clock ticking on urgent fiscal deadlines, all eyes are now on Emmanuel Macron and the next moves from the Élysée.
