French politics has once again been thrown into chaos, as Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu resigned on Monday morning, October 6, 2025, after serving just 27 days in office. His abrupt departure marks the shortest tenure for a prime minister in the history of France’s Fifth Republic, which was established in 1958. The collapse of Lecornu’s government, coming only twelve hours after he appointed his cabinet, has left the country’s political establishment reeling and markets in turmoil.
Lecornu’s resignation is the third such event since President Emmanuel Macron called snap elections last summer, a decision that was supposed to break the deadlock in a bitterly divided parliament. Instead, it has ushered in an era of unprecedented instability, with three prime ministers ousted in rapid succession and no end to the political gridlock in sight. According to Socialist Worker, the government has been “falling before even its first meeting,” a sentiment echoed by many on the streets and in the halls of power.
The immediate cause of Lecornu’s downfall was his decision to appoint a cabinet that included a mix of ministers from his predecessor François Bayrou’s team as well as figures from previous Macron governments. This move, intended to signal continuity and experience, instead provoked outrage from all sides of the political spectrum. Lecornu had promised a “rupture” from the past, but his cabinet was seen as more of the same—a mere game of political musical chairs that satisfied no one.
Bruno Retailleau, president of the conservative Les Républicains (LR) and the interior minister, was quick to voice his disapproval. Posting on X, Retailleau declared, “the composition does not reflect the promised break.” This sentiment was shared by other parties. Olivier Faure, leader of the Labour-type Parti Socialiste (PS), stated that he could not see how his party could support the government. Jean-Luc Mélenchon, leader of the left-wing La France Insoumise (LFI), was even more scathing. He asked, “All that for this?” and continued, “Elections for nothing, two motions of no confidence for nothing? This won’t hold. And all that for what? Just the gorging of a parasitic oligarchy of the country. The countdown to chase them all out has begun.”
Meanwhile, Jordan Bardella, president of the far-right Rassemblement National (RN), threw down the gauntlet, saying, “We made it clear to the prime minister—it’s either a break with the past or a vote of no confidence.” The RN, which currently leads in national opinion polls, has called on President Macron to either call new elections or resign himself.
The political crisis is playing out against a backdrop of widespread social unrest. Over the past month, France has witnessed three massive days of action, with more than a million people taking to the streets to protest against what they see as Macron’s “rotten regime.” Strikes and demonstrations have become a regular feature of French life in recent weeks, as grassroots unions, neighborhood organizations, and anti-racist groups rally against austerity measures and the perceived failures of the political elite.
Denis Goddard, a member of the revolutionary socialist group Autonomie de Classe, summed up the mood of many protesters when he told Socialist Worker, “Faster and faster! Now the government is falling before even its first meeting.” Denis argued that the underlying reason for the government’s collapse is that “no patchwork solution is possible within the parliamentary framework.” He warned that the current maneuvering among political parties “can only go from crisis to crisis, but it risks serving only as a mask and springboard for the RN.”
This is not the first time in recent months that the French government has been brought down by its own internal contradictions. In December, former Prime Minister Michel Barnier was ousted by parliament after attempting to push through an austerity budget using authoritarian measures. François Bayrou, Lecornu’s immediate predecessor, was toppled at the start of September for a similar attempt at budget cuts, just two days before a mass movement against the government erupted on the streets.
Sections of the French ruling class, according to Socialist Worker, are “desperately trying to force through austerity.” But the repeated failures of successive governments have only deepened the sense of crisis and alienation among ordinary citizens. Denis Goddard believes that the only way forward is to “accelerate resistance—grassroots unions, neighborhood organizations, anti-racist solidarity.” He added, “The challenge is to build everything that calls for confrontation, everything that says that it is time for us to go on the offensive.”
The opposition in parliament is not standing idly by. The left-wing LFI is attempting to force Macron’s hand by putting forward an impeachment motion against the president. Meanwhile, the RN continues to press for new elections, hoping to capitalize on the current chaos and their strong polling numbers. The PS and other center-left parties, while critical of the government, remain wary of the far right’s rising influence.
President Macron now faces a series of unenviable choices. He can attempt to appoint a fourth prime minister, a move that would likely prolong the current crisis without resolving the underlying issues. Alternatively, he could dissolve parliament and call fresh elections—a risky gamble given the RN’s current popularity. The third, and least likely, option is for Macron to resign, something his opponents are increasingly demanding but which he has so far resisted.
The markets have responded to the political instability with alarm. According to Politico, the benchmark French stock index fell as much as 3 percent on the news of Lecornu’s resignation, while the government’s 10-year borrowing costs rose to 3.57 percent, just shy of their highest level for the year. Investors are clearly rattled by the prospect of continued gridlock and the potential for further unrest.
As France stands at a crossroads, the path forward remains uncertain. The rapid turnover of governments, the deep divisions within parliament, and the mass mobilization on the streets all point to a country in the grip of a profound political crisis. Whether Macron can find a way out—or whether the forces of opposition and protest will shape the next chapter—remains to be seen. For now, the only certainty is that France’s political drama is far from over.
