France Macron reappoints Lecornu as prime minister
French President Emmanuel Macron has surprisingly reappointed the resigned Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu as head of government. The Élysée Palace announced that the 39-year-old will continue as prime minister and put together a new cabinet following his efforts to resolve the government crisis.
10.10.2025, 22:12
10.10.2025, 22:33
SDA
Lecornu, who is a particularly close confidant of Macron, only took office as prime minister four weeks ago and resigned on Monday following tensions within the government. Macron then tasked him with finding a way out of the crisis within two days.
Lecornu sees a way out of the crisis
Following talks with the parties, Lecornu was convinced that a way out of the political crisis in France was possible without a new parliamentary election. There is a "very relative majority" of several political groups, including the left-wing opposition, who want to agree on a budget and stability.
"We must put an end to this political crisis that is angering the French and this instability that is damaging France's image and its interests," said Lecornu after his appointment. "Restoring our public finances remains a priority for our future and our sovereignty: no one can escape this necessity."
Opposition announces motion of no confidence
France's left-wing party La France Insoumise (LFI) and the right-wing Rassemblement National (RN) immediately announced a vote of no confidence in the reappointed prime minister. "The Lecornu II government, appointed at the Élysée Palace by an Emmanuel Macron who is more isolated and detached from reality than ever, is a bad joke, a democratic disgrace and a humiliation for the French people," wrote RN leader Jordan Bardella on X. LFI leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon spoke of a ridiculous comedy.
By sticking with his henchman Lecornu, President Macron has once again prevailed against calls to appoint a head of government from the left-wing camp or an expert who is more removed from the current political scene. Despite the good performance of the left-wing parties in the early parliamentary elections in the summer of 2024, Macron subsequently appointed heads of government who are far from the left camp, namely the conservative Michel Barnier and the centrist François Bayrou.
Support from political groups
Lecornu had previously said that he did not want to continue as prime minister. But as a close confidant of the president, he could not refuse his wish "out of a sense of duty", as he said. One advantage is that, following his intensive consultations with the parties, Lecornu may be able to count on the support of a sufficiently large number of political groups.
In any case, the prime minister, who has been brought back into office, is under time pressure, because if France, which is heavily in debt, wants to get a budget for the coming year off the ground in time, it must be submitted to parliament by next Monday at the latest, and by the prime minister. This is stipulated by constitutional deadlines. Failure to do so would further block the already politically paralyzed country and hamper its economy.
Lecornu's two predecessors in the presidency failed because of the dispute over the budget. Michel Barnier did not survive a motion of no confidence and Bayrou lost a vote of confidence.
Prospects of success are open
Whether Lecornu will be more successful in his second attempt, both in the search for a consensus on the budget and other pressing political issues, remains to be seen. Since the early parliamentary elections in summer 2024, the parliament has been divided into different political blocs, each of which does not have a majority capable of governing, but also do not form viable alliances and block each other. Coalitions such as those in Germany are unusual in France.
In terms of economic output, France has the third highest debt ratio in the EU after Greece and Italy at 114%. Government spending is also among the highest in Europe. The most recent budget deficit was 5.8 percent. The EU opened an excessive deficit procedure against France back in July 2024.
An austerity budget is therefore necessary, but the divided parliament is divided as to whether the finances should be brought back into balance with cuts or the creation of additional taxes, for example for the particularly wealthy.
