🔗 Share this article

President Emmanuel Macron has called upon his former prime minister to return as head of government just days after he stepped down, causing a period of intense uncertainty and crisis.

Macron declared on Friday evening, hours after consulting with leading factions in one place at the Élysée Palace, excluding the representatives of the extremist parties.

His reappointment was unexpected, as he stated on television recently that he was not interested in returning and his task was complete.

It is not even certain whether he will be able to form a government, but he will have to act quickly. Lecornu faces a deadline on Monday to submit financial plans before lawmakers.

Leadership Hurdles and Budgetary Strains

The Élysée announced the president had “tasked [Lecornu] with forming a government”, and Macron's entourage suggested he had been given complete freedom to proceed.

The prime minister, who is one of Macron's closest allies, then published a long statement on X in which he consented to responsibly the assignment entrusted to me by the president, to make every effort to secure a national budget by the year's conclusion and respond to the common issues of our countrymen.

Political divisions over how to lower the country's public debt and reduce the fiscal shortfall have led to the ouster of several leaders in the recent period, so his task is immense.

Government liabilities earlier this year was close to 114% of national income – the third highest in the euro area – and this year's budget deficit is expected to reach over five percent of economic output.

Lecornu said that everyone must contribute the necessity of fixing government accounts. In just a year and a half before the completion of his mandate, he advised that anyone joining his government would have to set aside their political goals.

Governing Without a Majority

Adding to the difficulty for Lecornu is that he will face a parliamentary test in a legislative body where Macron has no majority to endorse his government. The president's popularity plummeted this week, according to research that put his approval rating on 14 percent.

Jordan Bardella of the far-right National Rally, which was not invited of Macron's talks with party leaders on the end of the week, commented that the decision, by a president increasingly isolated at the Élysée, is a “bad joke”.

His party would immediately bring a challenge against a struggling administration, whose main motivation was dreading polls, he continued.

Building Alliances

Lecornu at least is aware of the challenges ahead as he tries to form a government, because he has already spent two days this week talking to factions that might join his government.

By themselves, the centrist parties lack a majority, and there are divisions within the right-leaning party who have assisted Macron's governments since he failed to secure enough seats in recent polls.

So Lecornu will look to socialist factions for potential support.

To gain leftist support, officials indicated the president was considering a delay to some aspects of his controversial social security adjustments enacted last year which extended working life from 62 to 64.

That fell short of what left-wing leaders desired, as they were anticipating he would appoint a prime minister from their side. The Socialist leader of the leftist party commented “since we've not been given any guarantees, we won't give any guarantee” to back the prime minister.

Fabien Roussel from the Communists said after meeting the president that the progressive camp wanted genuine reform, and a leader from the president's centrist camp would not be accepted by the French people.

Environmental party head the Green figure expressed shock Macron had given minimal offers to the progressives, adding that the situation would deteriorate.