Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu has resigned after less than a month in office, plunging the country into a deeper French political crisis after failing to build a government consensus. President Emmanuel Macron accepted his resignation.
Lecornu Resigns Over Lack of Consensus
The resignation came less than 24 hours after Lecornu, France’s fourth prime minister in just over a year, named his government.
Lecornu stated that the conditions were no longer met to remain in office, adding, “One must always put one’s country before one’s party.” Agnès Pannier-Runacher, the newly reappointed minister for ecology, reacted to the situation by stating, “I despair of this circus.“
The ministers appointed the previous night will now serve as caretaker ministers to manage day-to-day government affairs.
Lecornu’s choices had faced criticism, particularly his decision to bring back former Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire to the defense ministry.
Opponents Demand Macron Snap Elections Call
Following the Sébastien Lecornu resignation, political opponents immediately called for new elections or for President Macron to step down. The far-right National Rally and the far-left France Unbowed both called for Macron’s departure.
“This raises a question for the president of the republic: can he continue to resist the legislature dissolution?” said far-right leader Marine Le Pen. “The only wise course of action in these circumstances is to return to the polls.“
Economic Concerns Mount Amid French Political Crisis
News of the government’s collapse caused immediate financial market reactions, with the CAC-40 index of leading French companies falling by nearly 2%. The event compounds the ongoing France public debt crisis, a major challenge for the nation’s leadership.
At the end of the first quarter of 2025, France’s public debt reached 3.346 trillion euros, or 114% of its GDP. Lecornu’s primary task would have been to pass a budget amid this difficult financial backdrop.
A Government Plagued by Instability
The current French government instability stems from snap elections called by Macron last year, which resulted in a deeply fragmented National Assembly. The far-right and left-wing factions hold over 320 seats, while centrists and their allies hold only 210.
Before his resignation, Lecornu had consulted with political forces and trade unions to seek consensus, vowing not to use special constitutional powers to force a budget through parliament. This approach ultimately proved unsuccessful in bridging the political divide.
