Why the French Prime Minister Stepped Down Following Only 27 Days – & Potential Follow
The French PM, the country's leader, stepped down together with the cabinet, under 30 days following his appointment and within moments after unveiling his ministers, dramatically deepening the country's governmental turmoil.
It is another surprising turn following recent incidents that suggest France, Europe's second-largest economy, is becoming increasingly ungovernable. Here is a look at what just happened, the causes and what might come next.
Recent Events
Lecornu, who was appointed 27 days ago, tendered his resignation along with the entire cabinet this week, barely 12 hours after the key members of his cabinet had been announced. This made him the briefest-serving PM since the Fifth Republic began.
Aged 39, former defence minister, aligned with the president, served as the fifth PM since the president’s re-election in 2022 and the third post-parliament dissolution triggering snap polls conducted months ago.
Lecornu blamed political rigidity, stating he was “ready to compromise, yet all factions demanded others accept their entire agenda.” It would “would require little to succeed,” but “partisan attitudes” and “certain egos” blocked progress, according to him.
The resignation alarmed markets, with the CAC 40 stock index dropping 2% and the euro declined 0.7%. France’s debt-to-GDP ratio is the EU’s third-highest behind Greece and Italy, nearly double the 60% permitted under EU rules – as is the nearly 6% deficit forecast.
Why Did It Happen?
The roots of the crisis stem from that 2024 snap general election, that resulted in a split assembly divided between three nearly equal factions: left-wing groups, the far right & the president's centrist coalition, none nearing a majority.
France’s financial crisis worsened the uncertainty, as have the 2027 presidential race. The president is term-limited, as parties position themselves before the vote, common ground in parliament is increasingly elusive.
Lecornu faced a difficult task to approve spending cuts in a fractured parliament aimed at reining in the large fiscal gap – a task that defeated the previous two PMs, who were ousted by MPs over the plan.
The final catalyst for his resignation seems to be the reaction of the centre-right Les Républicains to the new cabinet. The party said the largely unchanged lineup failed to represent a significant shift from previous approaches that Lecornu had promised.
But announcement of the main cabinet posts on Sunday evening prompted fierce criticism from across the political spectrum, with allies and opponents denouncing it for being too conservative or insufficiently so, and threatening to topple the new government.
The return of Bruno Le Maire, long-time finance chief, as defense head angered many lawmakers from most parties, viewing it as proof that Macron’s pro-business economic policies were not up for discussion.
Future Scenarios
Nationalist parties of Marine Le Pen and Jordan Bardella has called on Macron to dissolve parliament 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 uninviting. First, he could name a new prime minister. Someone from his circle seems improbable, and a centrist left candidate would challenge his hard-won pension reform.
Alternatively, appointing a confirmed rightwinger would infuriate the left bloc. Given the pressing need to secure some agreement for approving annual spending, experts propose he may try to turn to a non-party political technocrat.
Second, he may dissolve parliament and initiate new elections, an option he has resisted and which polls suggest would probably return another divided parliament – or bring nationalists to power.
His final option is stepping down, however, 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.
