France is once again in the throes of political and financial turmoil, as Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu faces mounting pressure from all sides—fractious parliamentary factions, restive unions, and an anxious public. On Wednesday, September 17, 2025, Lecornu, the country’s fourth prime minister in a single year, met with Socialist Party leaders in a bid to secure backing for what is shaping up to be an especially treacherous budget process. Yet, as reported by Liberacion and the Associated Press, little headway was made in these preliminary talks, particularly on the contentious question of a possible wealth tax.
Lecornu’s challenge is formidable. He steps into the role at a time when France’s national deficit is ballooning, Parliament is deeply divided, and the streets are alive with protest. The country’s previous government collapsed after attempting to push through 44 billion euros ($51 billion) in public spending cuts—an effort that triggered widespread outrage and ultimately failed. Now, Lecornu is trying a new approach, one that blends symbolic gestures with an attempt to build bridges across the political spectrum.
One of Lecornu’s first moves was to scrap proposals to eliminate two public holidays—Easter Monday and Victory Day (May 8)—a plan championed by his predecessor, François Bayrou, and widely reviled by the public. "I will find other sources of financing," Lecornu promised, signaling a break from the unpopular austerity measures that contributed to the previous government’s downfall. In another bid to restore public trust, he announced that lifetime benefits for former government ministers would be eliminated starting January 1, 2026. For former prime ministers, this means police protection will be capped at three years, and the state-provided car and driver will be limited to a decade. The measure is expected to save about 4.4 million euros ($5.21 million) annually, according to the Associated Press.
But these gestures have done little to quell the rising tide of unrest. Trade unions, which have been at odds with President Emmanuel Macron’s centrist administration for years, have called for nationwide strikes and protests on Thursday, September 18, 2025. The demonstrations are aimed squarely at Lecornu’s minority government and its proposed budget cuts. As Liberacion reports, these actions follow a massive "national paralysis" movement on September 10, which saw 200,000 people take to the streets across France. As of September 15, at least 40 rallies had been reported, with French intelligence officials anticipating a turnout of around 400,000 participants for the upcoming protests.
The transportation sector is expected to bear the brunt of the disruption. Strikes by three unions of the French Railway Corporation (SNCF) will slash regular intercity train services by half. In Paris, public transport will be similarly affected as four major unions of the Paris Transport Corporation (RATP) join the walkout. While strikes in the aviation sector are expected to be limited for now—the largest union of French air traffic controllers has postponed its action to early October—major unions at Air France are still planning to strike. European aviation officials have even urged the European Commission to step in and minimize the impact of the strikes, highlighting the international ramifications of France’s domestic unrest.
The underlying grievances fueling the protests are deeply rooted. Unions are resisting any cuts to social spending, arguing that French workers have already been battered by years of rising prices and the erosion of once-generous welfare benefits. The controversial pension reform, which raised the minimum retirement age from 62 to 64, remains a particular flashpoint. Sophie Binet, general secretary of the powerful CGT union, put it bluntly: "The iron should be tapped when it is hot. We need to make the Bayru budget disappear into history and implement tax justice, pension reform withdrawal, public service funding, and wage and pension increases."
France’s fiscal predicament is indeed severe. According to Eurostat, the nation’s debt hit 3.3 trillion euros in the first quarter of 2025—an eye-watering 114.1% of GDP. This places France as the third most indebted country in the Eurozone, trailing only Greece and Italy, and well ahead of Spain and Portugal, both of which were infamous for their fiscal woes during the 2008 global financial crisis. The international credit rating agency Fitch recently downgraded France’s credit rating from AA- to A+, citing expectations that the country’s debt ratio will continue to rise.
Political instability only compounds the challenge. Since President Macron called early parliamentary elections in June 2024, the legislature has been deeply fragmented, making it nearly impossible to build stable coalitions or pass major reforms. Lecornu’s government is a minority, and he must negotiate with both the Socialists, who are pushing for a tax on the super-rich, and his conservative allies, The Republicans, who reject any general tax increases. According to Associated Press reports, Lecornu may be open to a scaled-back version of the wealth tax proposed by economist Gabriel Zucman, but he must tread carefully to avoid alienating his right-leaning partners.
Meanwhile, the far-right National Rally party, led by Marine Le Pen, is predicting Lecornu’s failure and calling for new legislative elections to break the deadlock. The sense of pessimism is palpable. "The level of pessimism is massive in France," observed Mathieu Gallard, account director at Ipsos France. He pointed to a series of opinion polls showing that only 9% of French people consider the country’s economic situation to be good—a figure dramatically lower than in neighboring Italy or Spain. "The political situation gives the French the feeling leaders are not able to remedy the situation due to that instability," Gallard told Associated Press.
Lecornu, for his part, has vowed to be both "more creative" and "more serious" in his approach to governing. Friends and colleagues describe him as methodical, discreet, and persuasive—a style that some believe could help him broker the compromises necessary to steer France through its current crisis. François Ouzilleau, mayor of Vernon in Normandy and a longtime ally, summed it up with a colorful metaphor: "He’s like a truffle-hunting dog. He is good at sniffing things out, sniffing out people, sniffing out situations, sniffing out subjects." Ouzilleau also defended Lecornu’s close relationship with President Macron, arguing that "it’s better when the executive twosome functions well together."
Yet, with public anger simmering, a looming budget showdown in Parliament, and the risk of mass disruption from strikes, Lecornu’s method will soon be put to the test. As Interior Minister Bruno Retailer, who recently resigned after a no-confidence vote, warned, there is a "high risk of public disorder because of a small number of far-left groups trying to infiltrate official protests." The coming days will reveal whether Lecornu’s blend of pragmatism and persuasion can deliver the stability and solutions France so desperately needs—or whether the country will be plunged even deeper into crisis.
