Politics France's Prime Minister Lecornu resigns
France's new Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu has unexpectedly resigned after just four weeks in office in the face of a government crisis. The prime minister submitted his resignation to President Emmanuel Macron, who accepted it, the Élysée Palace announced.
06.10.2025, 10:29
SDA
Only the previous evening, Lecornu had announced the distribution of key portfolios in the future government, thereby antagonizing the conservatives, who promptly threatened to withdraw from the government. In this government, the Républicains govern with President Emmanuel Macron's centrist camp, but the government does not have a majority in parliament.
Conservatives threatened to withdraw from the government
Bruno Retailleau, the confirmed interior minister and Républicain leader, expressed his dissatisfaction with the composition of the new government on Sunday evening and announced a crisis meeting of his party for this Monday. The prime minister, who comes from the presidential camp, resigned before the start of this meeting.
Retailleau had previously demanded a third of the ministerial posts for his party and was dissatisfied with the role and weight of the Conservatives in the new government, the media reported, citing party officials. The conservatives were also outraged that Bruno Le Maire, the long-serving economy and finance minister who left in 2024 and belongs to Macron's centrist party, was surprisingly appointed as defense minister.
France is in a budget crisis
France is now facing a serious political crisis that is putting President Macron under massive pressure. He is now forced to search for a new prime minister for the third time this year. However, he can also dissolve parliament and call new elections. The previous government under François Bayrou fell during a vote of confidence in a dispute over the planned austerity budget. At around 3.3 trillion euros, the country has the highest debt in the European Union.
