Emmanuel Macron to appoint new Prime Minister within 48 hours

France’s outgoing prime minister said Emmanuel Macron will appoint his successor within 48 hours as the nation navigates deep political turmoil.

In the event that Sébastien Lecornu's supposition is accurate, the appointment of a new prime minister would, for the time being at least, divert France from alternative possibilities that Macron could pursue and further destabilize the second-largest economy in the European Union.

One of these is dissolving parliament's influential lower chamber in order to hold a fresh parliamentary election. Macron's previous attempt to do so failed, filling the National Assembly with opponents of the French leader. Macron may also step down, but Lecornu warned against it and he has already ruled out the possibility.

The prime minister who abruptly resigned on Monday did not specify who his replacement will be in an eagerly anticipated interview with network France Télévisions, but he did indicate that he expects Macron to choose that course of action.

 “I think that the situation allows the president to name a prime minister in the next 48 hours,”

he said.

Otherwise, however, Lecornu’s interview left more questions than it answered about how Macron intends to dig France out of the protracted political crisis that has gripped the country since the June 2024 dissolution of the National Assembly.

How might a new PM affect France's 2026 budget negotiations?

The prime minister will have to deal with a fractured parliament, with no party holding a simple majority. The prime minister's ability to promote a budget proposal or reach a compromise will be determined on their ability to unify various political groups, including those in the center, left, and right of the political spectrum.

The new prime minister will have the ability to alter or reallocate spending within the budget plan, as it relates to budget cuts, tax changes, or welfare, depending on what political realities warrant or the bargain they strike with coalitions.

Depending on the style of the prime minister, they may use a constitutional means like Article 49.3 to advance the budget proposal without a complete parliamentary vote, though the method might create an even greater opposition.