Why the French PM Resigned After Just 27 Days – and What Could Happen Next
The French prime minister, Sébastien Lecornu, stepped down along with the cabinet, under a month following taking office and just hours of the new cabinet being announced, dramatically deepening France's governmental turmoil.
It is another surprising turn following recent incidents that suggest the nation, the EU’s second-biggest member state, is becoming increasingly ungovernable. Let's examine recent developments, the causes and what might come next.
What Just Happened?
Lecornu, after less than a month in office, submitted his departure and that of his government on Monday, barely 12 hours following the ministerial lineup reveal. He became the briefest-serving PM since the Fifth Republic began.
The 39-year-old, former defence minister, aligned with the president, served as the fifth PM after Macron's second term and the third since Macron dissolved parliament and called early legislative elections conducted months ago.
Lecornu blamed political rigidity, saying he had been “willing to negotiate, but every party wanted every other party to adopt its full programme.” He noted it “would require little to succeed,” however “partisan attitudes” and “personal ambitions” stood in the way, according to him.
The resignation alarmed markets, with the CAC 40 stock index dropping 2% and the euro, 0.7%. France’s debt-to-GDP ratio is the EU’s third-highest behind Greece and Italy, almost twice the EU's 60% limit – as is the nearly 6% deficit forecast.
Underlying Causes
Origins of the turmoil stem from that 2024 snap general election, which produced a hung parliament split among three more or less equal blocs: the left, nationalist right & Macron’s own centre-right alliance, none nearing a majority.
France’s financial crisis has only added to that instability, as have the 2027 presidential race. The president is term-limited, as parties position themselves before the vote, common ground in parliament is increasingly elusive.
He encountered a difficult task of passing an austerity budget through the divided assembly aimed at reining in the large fiscal gap – a task that defeated his two immediate predecessors, who were ousted by MPs over the plan.
The final catalyst leading to his exit seems to be response from conservative parties to the new cabinet. The party said the similar composition did not reflect a significant shift from previous approaches he had pledged.
Revealing key ministries last Sunday drew strong objections from all sides, as supporters and critics condemned it for being too conservative or insufficiently so, and threatening to topple the new government.
The return of Bruno Le Maire, long-time finance chief, as defense head angered many lawmakers across factions, who saw it as a confirmation that Macron’s pro-business economic policies were not up for discussion.
Future Scenarios
Nationalist parties of Marine Le Pen and Jordan Bardella urged the president to disband the assembly and call new votes, as leftist groups renewed demands for Macron's resignation.
Macron has three main options, each risky and none very appealing. Initially, he could name a new prime minister. A figure from within his own camp seems improbable, and a centrist left candidate would challenge his hard-won pension reform.
On the other hand, appointing a confirmed rightwinger would anger left-wing parties. Given the pressing need to achieve a minimum of consensus for approving annual spending, some analysts have suggested he might consider a non-party political technocrat.
Next, he could dissolve the national assembly and call fresh legislative elections, an option he has resisted and which polls suggest could yield another split result – or potentially usher in an RN government.
The last choice would be to resign, but again, he has refused to leave prior to the 2027 vote – a vote seen as a historic crossroads for France, as Le Pen eyes a potential victory.
