In a twist, French PM Lecornu gets last chance to save government

In a twist, French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu has got the last chance until Wednesday evening to save his government.

In an announcement that came as a shock, Lecornu on Monday resigned just hours after unveiling his Cabinet. His choice of ministers had led to all-round criticism. Now he appears to have a remote chance at a course-correction and saving his government.

President Emmanuel Macron on Monday evening asked Lecornu on Monday evening to take two days to hold cross-party consultations to muster support for his government and save it from collapse, an official at the presidential palace told AFP.

The source said that Lecornu accepted Macron’s request.

Macron had appointed Lecornu as the Prime Minister of France last month after his predecessor, Francois Bayrou, was ousted in a trust vote.

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For more than a year, France has been in the grips of a political crisis since the last year’s snap parliamentary elections threw up a hung assembly. Successive prime ministers have run minority governments as no party or coalition has had a majority. While parties supported Bayrou, and his predecessor Michel Barnier, on case-by-case basis, both of them were ousted in trust votes after parties refused to support their budget proposals.

Lecornu’s last chance to save govt

Macron tasked Lecornu with “conducting final negotiations by Wednesday evening to define a platform of action and stability for the country”, the source said.

Lecornu said on social media that he had accepted “to hold final discussions with the political forces” and would report back to Macron on Wednesday evening.

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In an apparent reference at fresh elections, the source said that Macron is ready to “assume his responsibilities” in case of failure.

In an indication that course-correction has begun, Bruno Le Maire, a former finance minister whom Lecornu had named as defence minister, announced that he will not take up the role. Critics have associated him with Macron’s unpopular economic policies.

In his Cabinet, Lecornu appointed as many as 11 ministers with same portfolios from the previous government, including Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau and Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot. He also inducted several former ministers like Le Maire.

It led to criticism as politicians across the spectrum said that the new government was barely new as all the faces were old.

Far-right National Rally (RN) leader Jordan Bardella immediately threatened to bring a vote of no confidence against Lecornu’s government. He said Cabinet picks were “pathetic” and made it clear that the prime minister had to bring a “break” from the past or face a vote of no confidence.

The Cabinet was “decidedly all about continuity and absolutely nothing about breaking with the past that the French people are expecting”, said Bardella.

Separately, Socialist party leader Olivier Faure said the Cabinet was such that he had no choice other than voting against the government.

“At this current moment in time, I cannot see how the socialist party would not be in a position to vote against the government…The prevailing sentiment is one of dismay…The reality is that we are witnessing an unprecedented political crisis,” said Faure.

Besides the political crisis, France is in the grips of the worst debt crisis in decades where it reached €3.4 trillion ($4 trillion) last month. That amounted to around 115 per cent of the GDP. The budget deficit reached 5.8 per cent of the GDP — nearly double the European Union’s (EU) upper limit of 3 per cent.

It’s time to try something else, says Macron’s ally

The situation in France is such that even Macron’s allies are confused about the direction of the country.

Gabriel Attal, who was prime minister until last year when Macron called snap elections, on Monday said he no longer understood Macron’s decisions.

Attal, who leads Macron’s centrist party, said it was “time to try something else” in a reference to the country’s seeing one prime minister after another.

In just over a year, France has seen four prime ministers: Michel Barnier (September-December 2024), Bayrou (Dec. 2024-Sept. 2025), and Lecornu (Sept. 2025-).

The political instability has coincided with a surge in far-right National Rally’s (RN) popularity. In the last elections, the RN was believed to win, but a tactical alliance between Macron’s centrist coalition and left-leaning parties stopped the RN from winning. But, as the crisis continues, how long the RN stays out of power remains to be seen.