Why the French Prime Minister Resigned Following Only 27 Days – and What Could Happen Next
France's PM, Sébastien Lecornu, stepped down along with the cabinet, under a month after taking office and just hours after unveiling his ministers, significantly worsening the country's governmental turmoil.
It is another surprising turn in a series of events that suggest France, Europe's second-largest economy, faces growing governance challenges. Here is a look at recent developments, why – and what might come next.
Recent Events
Lecornu, who was appointed 27 days ago, tendered his resignation and that of his government this week, only half a day after the key members of his cabinet had been announced. This made him the shortest-lived prime minister in modern French history.
The 39-year-old, ex-defense chief, a close ally of Emmanuel Macron, served as the fifth PM since the president’s re-election in 2022 and third leader since Macron dissolved parliament triggering snap polls conducted months ago.
Lecornu blamed party-political intransigence, stating he was “willing to negotiate, but every party wanted others accept their entire agenda.” It would “would require little to succeed,” however “ideological stubbornness” along with “certain egos” stood in the way, he said.
The resignation spooked investors, with the CAC 40 stock index dropping 2% and the euro declined 0.7%. The national debt ratio is the EU’s third-highest after Greece and Italy, almost twice the 60% permitted under EU rules – similar to its projected budget deficit of nearly 6%.
Underlying Causes
The roots of the crisis stem from last year's sudden polls, which produced a hung parliament divided between three more or less equal blocs: left-wing groups, nationalist right & Macron’s own centre-right alliance, with no group coming close to a clear majority.
France’s financial crisis has only added to that instability, as have presidential elections due in 2027. Macron cannot stand again, and with each party keen to stake out its ground ahead of elections, common ground in parliament is increasingly elusive.
Lecornu faced a difficult task of passing an austerity budget in a fractured parliament targeting reduction of the large fiscal gap – a task that defeated the previous two PMs, 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. They claimed the largely unchanged lineup failed to represent a significant shift from previous approaches he had pledged.
Revealing key ministries on Sunday evening prompted fierce criticism from all sides, with allies and opponents denouncing it for being too conservative or insufficiently so, and endangering its stability.
The return of Bruno Le Maire, long-time finance chief, as defense head particularly enraged politicians across factions, who saw it as a confirmation that Macron’s pro-business economic policies were not up for discussion.
What Might Happen Now?
Nationalist parties of Marine Le Pen and Jordan Bardella has called on Macron to disband the assembly and hold fresh elections, while the radical left France Unbowed renewed demands for Macron's resignation.
Macron has three main options, each risky and uninviting. First, he might appoint another PM. Someone from his circle now appears unlikely, while even a moderate leftwinger 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 secure some agreement to at least pass a budget for this year, experts propose 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 surveys indicate could yield another split result – or potentially usher in an RN government.
His final option is stepping down, however, he has repeatedly ruled out standing aside before the presidential election in 2027 – an election viewed as pivotal for France, with Le Pen sensing her best ever chance of taking power.
