Why France's PM Stepped Down Following Only 27 Days – and Potential Happen Next
The French PM, the country's leader, has resigned together with his government, under 30 days after his appointment and within hours after unveiling his ministers, dramatically deepening France's political crisis.
It is the latest shock development following recent incidents that suggest the nation, Europe's second-largest economy, is becoming increasingly ungovernable. Let's examine what just happened, the causes and what might come next.
What Just Happened?
Lecornu, after less than a month in office, tendered his resignation and that of his government on Monday, barely 12 hours following the ministerial lineup reveal. This made him the shortest-lived prime minister since the Fifth Republic began.
Aged 39, former defence minister, aligned with the president, was France’s fifth prime minister since the president’s re-election in 2022 and the third since Macron dissolved parliament triggering snap polls that were held last summer.
Lecornu blamed party-political intransigence, stating he was “willing to negotiate, but every party wanted others accept their entire agenda.” It would “not take much for it to work,” but “partisan attitudes” along with “personal ambitions” blocked progress, according to him.
The resignation alarmed markets, as the CAC 40 fell 2% and the euro declined 0.7%. The national debt ratio ranks third in the EU after Greece and Italy, nearly double the EU's 60% limit – as is its projected budget deficit of nearly 6%.
Underlying Causes
The roots of the crisis stem from that 2024 snap general election, which produced a split assembly divided between three more or less equal blocs: the left, the far right & Macron’s own centre-right alliance, with no group coming close to a clear majority.
The economic downturn worsened the uncertainty, along with the 2027 presidential race. Macron cannot stand again, and with each party keen to stake out its ground ahead of elections, compromise in the assembly has become even harder to find.
He encountered a difficult task of passing an austerity budget through the divided assembly aimed at reining in the large fiscal gap – a challenge that ousted his two immediate predecessors, removed by lawmakers for similar efforts.
The final catalyst leading to his exit seems to be the reaction of the centre-right Les Républicains to the new cabinet. They claimed the largely unchanged lineup failed to represent a significant shift with past politics that Lecornu had promised.
Revealing key ministries last Sunday drew strong objections from across the political spectrum, with allies and opponents denouncing it as either too rightwing or not rightwing enough, and threatening to topple the new government.
Reappointing Bruno Le Maire, Macron’s economy minister for seven years, as defense head particularly enraged politicians across factions, who saw it as a confirmation that his economic agenda was non-negotiable.
What Might Happen Now?
Nationalist parties of Marine Le Pen and Jordan Bardella has called on Macron to disband the assembly and call new votes, while the radical left France Unbowed has reiterated longstanding calls for the president himself to step down.
Macron has three main options, all hazardous and none very appealing. Initially, he might appoint another PM. Someone from his circle now appears unlikely, and a centrist left candidate could undermine his pension changes.
Alternatively, appointing a confirmed rightwinger would infuriate the left bloc. Due to urgent requirements to secure some agreement for approving annual spending, experts propose he may try to turn to an independent expert.
Second, he may dissolve parliament and initiate new elections, an option he has resisted and surveys indicate could yield another split result – or potentially usher in an RN government.
The last choice would be to resign, but again, he has refused to leave before the presidential election in 2027 – a vote seen as a historic crossroads in French politics, with Le Pen sensing her best ever chance of taking power.
