France is experiencing a countdown to avoid new elections: a timeline to understand the chaos.

ParisFrance is consolidating its position as a highly ungovernable territory. The political spectacle at the Élysée Palace this Monday opens a new page in the crisis of instability the country has experienced since last year's legislative elections, which left the National Assembly more fragmented than ever. Early in the morning, Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu unexpectedly resigned, the day after announcing the names of the new government's ministers. Lecornu, a figure very close to Macron, went down in history as the prime minister with the fewest days in office, just 27. And his administration, as the shortest in history, lasting less than 24 hours. But in the afternoon, a new twist arrived: President Macron asked Lecornu, hours after accepting his resignation, to try again to form a government. Lecornu accepted and has 48 hours to reach a consensus on a government. "I have agreed, at the request of the President of the Republic, to hold final talks with the political forces to guarantee the stability of the country. On Wednesday evening, I will tell the head of state whether this is possible or not, so that he can draw all the necessary conclusions," the resigned prime minister explained to X. ~BK_SLT round of negotiations with the parties to see if he can secure the necessary support for a government that will not be censured and for a budget that requires broad parliamentary support for its approval. According to leaks to the press, the resigned prime minister will be in charge of leading the negotiations, but will not repeat as head of government.

This is the last bullet Emmanuel Macron has left to avoid calling legislative elections. According to BFMTV, the president "will take his responsibilities" if the negotiations fail.

"The conditions for governing are not met," Lecornu had justified in a brief speech announcing his resignation. Lecornu accused some political parties of acting for their own benefit in the face of the approaching presidential elections, which will be held in 2027, instead of trying to build bridges. "We must always prefer the country to the party. We must know how to listen to our members, but we must always think of the French people," he said.

The appointment this Sunday of a continuity-led executive, made up of almost the same ministers as the previous one—rejected by the National Assembly in September—sparked criticism from opposition groups, who threatened a vote of no confidence and put pressure on Lecornu. The new government, in fact, had as its main ministers the same as the previous executive, such as the Minister of Education and former Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne; the Minister of Justice, Gérald Darmanin; Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau and even Culture Minister Rachida Dati, who is awaiting trial for corruption.

Discomfort among Macron's allies

Lecornu's decision was also motivated by the threat from the right-wing Republican Party, Macron's government ally until now, to stop supporting the government. The leader of the conservative party and Minister of the Interior has criticized the low presence of members of his party in the government and the fact that Lecornu appointed Bruno Le Maire, a Macronist and Minister of the Economy for more than seven years, as Minister of Defense. The Republicans point to him as guilty of the complicated situation of the country's finances.

"The composition of the government does not reflect the promised break," Retailleau assured this Sunday evening, very upset because he had learned of Le Maire's presence in the government at the same time that the composition of the new executive was made public. The conservative leader had called a party meeting for this Monday to decide whether or not to continue supporting the executive.

This Monday afternoon, shortly after the head of state held a meeting with the resigned prime minister, Bruno Le Maire announced "his withdrawal" from the government. "I hope that my decision will allow negotiations to resume to form a new government," Le Maire wrote to X. His stepping aside is understood as an attempt to facilitate the Republicans' continued support of a Macronist government and is what has allowed Macron to ask Lecornu to try again to bring positions between the parties closer.

Five prime ministers

Since the beginning of President Macron's second term, France has had five prime ministers. The next one will be the sixth. Lecornu has broken all the brevity records of the Fifth Republic.. With the resignation of Sébastien Lecornu, the political crisis in France has further worsened. "This ephemeral government only illustrates one thing: Macronism is plunging the country, once again, into chaos," warned Socialist spokesman Arthur Delaporte. Images broadcast by BFMTV showing the President of the Republic this afternoon walking alone and talking on the phone along the banks of the Seine illustrate Macron's increasingly weakened isolation.

For the Élysée Palace tenant, the pressure to call early legislative elections is at its maximum. "I call for the dissolution of the National Assembly. We are at the end of the road, tomorrow there will be nothing [...]. The joke has reached its limit, the farce has gone on long enough," warned far-right leader Marine Le Pen (National Rally).

The radical left and Les Républicains are going even further and demanding the president's resignation. "The countdown has begun. Macron must go," Mathilde Panot, parliamentary spokesperson for France Insoumise, told X. LFI has submitted a motion to impeach the president in the National Assembly, which has very little chance of success.