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.
Chronology of political chaos in France
French politics is experiencing one of the most turbulent periods in its modern history. The resignation of Sébastien Lecornu as prime minister highlights, once again, the instability of the European Union's second-largest economy. Here's the chronology of the chaos:
April 24, 2022
Emmanuel Macron is re-elected president of France in a runoff election against Marine Le Pen.
May 16, 2022
Three weeks after the presidential elections, Macron appoints Élisabeth Borne as prime minister . She is the person who has held the position the longest so far during the president's second term: 20 months.
January 8, 2024
Borne resigned, forced by Macron's desire to make changes in the government and give new impetus to his mandate, marked by the difficulty of passing laws in the National Assembly, where he lacks a majority, and by social protests, particularly against the pension reform.
January 9, 2024
The president appoints Gabriel Attal , just 34 years old, as head of the French government. He is a politician loyal to Macron, from the left wing of the executive branch, and a member of the Socialist Party.
June 9, 2024
The historic results of Marine Le Pen's far-right party in the European Parliament elections, with 31.3% of the vote, triggered a political earthquake in France. Macron announced the dissolution of the National Assembly and called early elections.
July 7, 2024
In a surprising result, the left-wing parties allied in the New Popular Front win the legislative elections . The lower house becomes even more fragmented, and an even more turbulent period begins.
July 16, 2024
Macron accepts the resignation of the government led by Gabriel Attal , but keeps him in office.
September 5, 2024
Nearly two months after the elections, the president appointed the new prime minister, conservative Michel Barnier , a member of the traditional right-wing party, Les Républiques. This represents Macron's first challenge to the left, as he has excluded it from the executive branch despite having won the elections.
December 5, 2024
Barnier's government falls in a vote of no confidence, supported by votes from left-wing parties and Le Pen's far-right supporters.
December 13, 2024
Macron appoints a new prime minister, François Bayrou , leader of the centrist Democratic Movement party.
September 8, 2025
Bayrou's government falls after losing a vote of confidence.
September 9, 2025
Macron appoints Sébastien Lecornu, a member of his party and previously Minister of Defense, as head of government.
October 5, 2025
Lecornu announces the names of his executive ministers, virtually unchanged from the previous government. This angers not only the opposition, both left and far-right, but also his own right-wing partners, who threaten to leave the coalition because they are losing representation.
October 6, 2025
A few hours after appointing his ministers, Lecornu tendered his resignation to Macron , who accepted it. But the president asked him to continue exploring the possibility of a government that would not be censured. He gave him 48 hours to do so.
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.
