French President Emmanuel Macron
faces mounting political and economic turmoil as he seeks his sixth prime
minister in under two years.
After Sébastien Lecornu resigned after his cabinet lasted just a few days, the Élysée Palace announced on Wednesday that Macron would appoint a new prime minister within 48 hours.
Given that lawmakers are still polarized over the national budget and important reforms, Lecornu's brief administration demonstrated the depth of France's political stalemate.The issue has reached a crucial stage, according to government spokesperson Aurore Bergé, who told RTL radio that this is "the last chance" for responsible leadership to emerge and stabilize the administration.
Lecornu's administration was the shortest in contemporary French history when he resigned on Monday, only hours after announcing his cabinet.
In a televised interview, he stated that there was still "a path, even if a tough one," to pass the 2025 budget by the end of the year, despite his resignation.
Lecornu admitted that it would be challenging to form a governing majority during his discussions with party leaders, but he expressed little desire for an early legislative election. Due to a growing fiscal deficit, investors are putting pressure on France to reduce spending, which has increased market uncertainty.
Macron's controversial 2023 pension reform, which progressively raises the retirement age from 62 to 64, is still another hot spot.
Left-leaning opposition politicians have redoubled their demands for the law's repeal or suspension, seeing it as a sign of Macron's lack of understanding of public opinion.
Manuel Bompard of the far-left France Unbowed once again demanded that Macron step down. Jordan Bardella, the leader of the National Rally, reaffirmed his call for fresh parliamentary elections in the meantime.
In the midst of severe political divisions and mounting investor anxiety over the nation's skyrocketing deficit, French President Emmanuel Macron is currently dealing with fresh turmoil as he looks for his sixth prime minister in less than two years.
Following Élisabeth Borne's resignation in January 2024 due to a cabinet crisis, Gabriel Attal took office. After a brief term, Michel Barnier was removed in a no-confidence vote in December 2024.
François Bayrou was then appointed by Macron in December 2024, but after losing a parliamentary confidence vote, Bayrou's cabinet collapsed in September 2025.
How would a new PM affect France's budget negotiations this year?
The next PM will face the challenge
of uniting a deeply divided parliament in which a stable majority is not
currently present. This may entail reconciling left, right, and centrist
divisions to garner support for whatever austerity measures and reforms the
government of Macron deems essential.
France is also facing a rising deficit projected to exceed 5% of GDP in 2024, significantly higher than targets outlined in various EU protocols. The new government will need to oversee deep budget cuts and implement reforms, including controversial pension reforms such as raising the age for retirement.
The PM will also face strong opposition from unions and the general public who will hold protests in order to end austerity measures and oppose reforms, and will need to provide assurances to investors that France remains fiscally responsible and will not further downgrade its credit rating.