In a week marked by political turbulence and high-stakes maneuvering, French President Emmanuel Macron has announced he will appoint a new prime minister within 48 hours, seeking to steer France out of its most severe political crisis in years. The move follows the abrupt resignation of outgoing Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu, whose fleeting 14-hour administration—shortest in modern French history—became a symbol of the country’s deepening parliamentary deadlock and mounting public frustration.
Macron’s decision, confirmed by the Élysée Palace on October 8, 2025, comes after a whirlwind of negotiations and last-ditch talks led by Lecornu. Over two tense days, Lecornu worked feverishly to gauge whether France’s fractured National Assembly could unite behind a new government and, crucially, a budget for 2026. The stakes could not be higher: without a stable majority, France risks financial instability, further investor unease, and the prospect of snap elections that could plunge the European Union’s second-largest economy into even greater uncertainty.
According to the Associated Press, Lecornu, acting at Macron’s request, spent his final days as prime minister consulting with party leaders across the political spectrum—though notably, far-left and far-right parties declined to participate. His mission was clear: test the waters for consensus on France’s urgent budget priorities and determine whether there was any appetite for dissolving parliament and heading to early elections. "There’s a majority that can govern," Lecornu told France Télévisions. "I feel that a path is still possible. It is difficult."
The results of Lecornu’s political temperature-taking were cautiously optimistic. As reported by Al Jazeera, the outgoing prime minister concluded that most lawmakers were opposed to snap legislative elections and believed a budget deal could be struck by year’s end. The Élysée echoed this sentiment, declaring there existed "a platform for stability" that could enable passage of the 2026 budget—a crucial step as France grapples with a public debt nearing 114% of GDP and a budget deficit projected at 5.4% for 2025, according to BBC analysis.
Yet, the path ahead remains fraught. Macron’s camp, along with its centrist allies, lacks a majority in the 577-seat National Assembly. The president’s minority governments have repeatedly collapsed over the past year, battered by failed attempts to pass unpopular spending cuts and beset by opposition from both the right and left. Lecornu’s own government, formed after the divided parliament ousted his predecessor Francois Bayrou over an austerity budget, fell apart in just 26 days—triggered by fierce criticism from conservative Republicans and discontent from all sides over the recycling of familiar faces into the new cabinet.
"I’m not chasing the job," Lecornu insisted to reporters, signaling that he would not seek to lead the next government. "My mission is finished." In a televised interview, he added, "I tried everything." He advocated for a more technocratic, less politically ambitious administration, suggesting that cabinet members should not harbor presidential ambitions for the 2027 election. "Let’s not make the French believe that it’s the president who votes the budget," he remarked, pushing back against opposition calls for snap presidential polls.
The political deadlock has its roots in the snap elections Macron called in June 2024, a bold gamble in response to surging far-right momentum. The result was a hung parliament, with no single group holding enough seats to govern outright. Since then, minority governments have lurched from crisis to crisis, and efforts to forge consensus on a budget—essential for tackling France’s ballooning deficit and funding priorities like aid to the riot-hit South Pacific territory of New Caledonia—have repeatedly stalled.
As Lecornu’s talks unfolded this week, the mood in Paris was tense but not entirely hopeless. According to BBC, Lecornu detected "a willingness to have a budget for France before 31 December," a development that would make the dissolution of parliament less likely. National Assembly President Yaël Braun-Pivet, after meeting Macron, told French radio that dissolving parliament "wouldn’t resolve a great deal." She later warned that failure to agree on a budget in the coming days would have "very serious consequences" for the country’s financial credibility and borrowing costs.
Still, the opposition remains deeply divided. Socialist leader Olivier Faure flatly ruled out joining any new government, telling reporters, "The budget plan, the way it was presented today, is a budget plan that we cannot be part of... and a joint government with Macron’s [allies] is unimaginable." Yet Faure signaled his party would not actively seek to topple a new administration, a stance that could provide some breathing room for Macron’s next prime minister.
On the other side of the chamber, far-right National Rally leader Marine Le Pen vowed to vote down any new government and renewed her call for the dissolution of parliament. "Some people would be ready to cut off a limb to keep their seats," she quipped, deriding those open to cross-party deals. Meanwhile, the conservative Republicans, whose criticism helped bring down Lecornu’s government, remain noncommittal about joining forces with Macron’s centrists, even as both sides eye the possibility of a "socle commun"—a common platform to stabilize governance.
Amid this swirl of intrigue, Macron’s options have appeared limited. As Al Jazeera noted, speculation swirled about whether he might reappoint Lecornu, tap a new face, call snap elections, or even resign himself. Ultimately, the president opted for continuity and caution, buying time to forge a consensus while avoiding the risk of further destabilizing the government with another round of elections.
Beyond the immediate budget drama, the crisis has also put on hold vital decisions about New Caledonia, where planned financial aid and political reforms—including a referendum on autonomy—have been delayed by the government’s paralysis. Outgoing Finance Minister Roland Lescure warned that reversing recent pension reforms would cost France "hundreds of millions of euros this year, and billions more in 2026," underscoring the fiscal tightrope Macron’s next government must walk.
As the clock ticks down to Macron’s promised announcement, France finds itself at a crossroads. Investors, voters, and lawmakers alike are watching closely, anxious to see whether the president’s next move can break the impasse and restore a measure of stability. For now, the only certainty is uncertainty—a familiar refrain in a country where, as one observer put it, "reducing our [budget] deficit is key, including for the credibility of France’s signature abroad, and quite simply our ability to borrow, and therefore the impact also on interest rates."
France’s political future may hang in the balance, but the coming days will reveal whether Macron’s gamble to appoint a new prime minister can finally bring the nation’s divided parliament together—or whether the crisis will deepen, with consequences felt far beyond the gilded halls of the Élysée.
