French politics has rarely been short on drama, but the events of the past week have left even seasoned observers reeling. On Friday, October 10, 2025, President Emmanuel Macron reappointed Sébastien Lecornu as France’s prime minister—just four days after Lecornu resigned from the same post. The decision followed days of frantic negotiations, failed cabinet formations, and public outcry, plunging France into a political whirlwind that has unsettled markets and shaken the public’s faith in its leaders.
Macron’s late-night announcement came after he convened all main party leaders at the Élysée Palace, pointedly excluding the far right and far left. The president’s office released a terse statement: “The president of the republic has named Mr Sébastien Lecornu prime minister and has charged him with forming a government.” Lecornu, aged 39 and a loyal Macron ally, accepted the mission in a lengthy post on X (formerly Twitter), declaring, “It is my duty to accept the mission entrusted to me by the President to do everything in my power to give France a budget for the end of the year and to respond to the everyday problems of our compatriots.”
This reappointment was a surprise twist, especially since Lecornu had publicly stated just two days prior that he was not “chasing the job” and that his “mission is over.” His resignation on Monday, October 6, came a mere 14 hours after he unveiled a cabinet that immediately drew fire from within his own coalition. The interior minister voiced objections the same night, and by Monday morning, Lecornu had stepped down. Macron accepted the resignation, only to reverse course by the end of the week, asking Lecornu to try again.
Lecornu now faces a daunting deadline: by Monday, October 13, he must present the 2026 budget to parliament. The stakes could hardly be higher. France’s public debt stands at nearly 114% of GDP—the third highest in the eurozone—while this year’s budget deficit is projected at 5.4% of GDP. The country’s poverty rate reached 15.4% in 2023, its highest since records began in 1996, according to the national statistics institute. The economic and political malaise is drawing concern from the European Union, ratings agencies, and investors alike.
“We must put an end to this political crisis that exasperates the French, and to this bad instability for France’s image and its interests,” Lecornu wrote on social media. He added that his new cabinet would “incarnate renewal and a diversity of skills.” But there’s a catch: anyone joining his government must renounce ambitions to run for president in 2027, a move clearly aimed at excluding rivals like Bruno Retailleau, the right-wing former interior minister, and other figures with their eyes on the top job.
Macron’s own political standing is precarious. An Elabe poll released this week put his approval rating at a record low of 14%. The president’s centrist bloc has no majority in the National Assembly, a situation that has persisted since snap elections in mid-2024 left no party with clear control. Macron’s decision to dissolve parliament after poor results in the European elections backfired spectacularly, strengthening the far right and leaving his government reliant on shifting alliances and fragile coalitions.
Not everyone was invited to the president’s crisis talks. The far-right National Rally party, led by Jordan Bardella, and the far-left France Unbowed party, led by Jean-Luc Mélenchon, were both excluded. Bardella wasted no time in denouncing Lecornu’s reappointment as “a bad joke, a democratic disgrace, and a humiliation for the French people.” Marine Le Pen, the far-right figurehead, called for an immediate vote of no confidence and new elections. On the left, Mélenchon mocked the move, saying, “Macron can do nothing other than Macron.” Mathilde Panot of France Unbowed accused the president of governing “by disgust and anger,” and demanded his resignation.
Lecornu’s first attempt at government formation, which began with his initial appointment as prime minister on September 9, 2025, collapsed when key figures in the conservative Republicans party objected to his ministerial picks. The leader of the Republicans, Bruno Retailleau, made it clear he would not participate in a Lecornu-led government, declaring the alliance of centrists and conservatives “dead.” Without the conservatives, Macron’s centrists cannot form a government alone, forcing Lecornu to seek support from left-wing parties.
In an effort to woo the left, Macron’s team floated the idea of delaying part of his controversial 2023 pension reform, which raised the retirement age from 62 to 64. The reform, rammed through parliament without a vote, sparked mass protests and remains deeply unpopular. Yet the offer fell flat. Olivier Faure of the Socialists said, “Since we’ve not been given any guarantees, we won’t give any guarantee [to back the prime minister] in a vote of confidence.” Fabien Roussel of the Communists echoed the sentiment, insisting that a prime minister from the centrist camp “would not be accepted by the French people.” Greens leader Marine Tondelier remarked, “All of this is going to turn out very badly.”
Lecornu, for his part, insists that “there’s a majority that can govern,” even if it will require compromise and coalition-building. “I feel that a path is still possible. It is difficult,” he acknowledged this week. The head of France’s central bank, François Villeroy de Galhau, has warned that the ongoing political turmoil has already cost France an estimated 0.2% in extra economic growth for 2025, with the bank now forecasting just 0.7% growth for the year. “Like many in France I’ve had enough of this [political] mess,” he told RTL radio. “It’s time for compromises—that’s not a dirty word—even forming coalitions.”
For Macron, Lecornu’s reappointment is widely seen as a last-ditch effort to salvage his second term, which runs until 2027. Should Lecornu fail to form a stable government or pass a budget, France could face yet another round of instability, and perhaps even fresh elections. The gridlock has already unnerved investors, infuriated voters, and hamstrung efforts to rein in the spiraling deficit and public debt. The pressure is on Lecornu to navigate the treacherous waters of French politics, build a government that can command at least a working majority, and restore a measure of calm to a nation weary of crisis.
As the clock ticks toward Monday’s budget deadline, all eyes are on Paris. Will Lecornu succeed where others have stumbled, or is France headed for another round of political upheaval? One thing is certain: the coming days will be crucial, not just for Lecornu and Macron, but for the future of France itself.