France’s new Prime Minister, Sebastien Lecornu, has resigned just weeks after taking office, plunging the country into fresh political turmoil and leaving President Emmanuel Macron struggling to maintain control over a deeply divided parliament.
Lecornu, France’s fifth prime minister in less than two years, had been tasked with convincing both the nation and investors that he could unite the fractured political landscape long enough to secure approval for the 2026 budget.
Appointed in early September amid widespread unrest and growing dissatisfaction over France’s political direction, Lecornu inherited a government already weakened by successive failures to pass budgets involving spending cuts and tax increases.
A former defence minister and close ally of President Macron, Lecornu announced his resignation just hours after naming a new cabinet on Sunday. The new ministers, many of whom retained their existing portfolios, had been scheduled to hold their first meeting on Monday.
His departure has thrown Macron’s administration into disarray once again, marking the president’s third failed attempt to sustain a minority government. The resignation is expected to deepen political uncertainty and intensify pressure on Macron as France grapples with mounting economic challenges.
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Lecornu had been due to deliver a key address before the National Assembly on Tuesday, outlining his government’s policy roadmap and approach to fiscal reforms. His sudden exit has now left those plans in limbo.
Parties across the political spectrum — from the far left to the conservative right — as well as international investors and the European Commission in Brussels, had been awaiting details on Lecornu’s strategy to narrow France’s swelling budget deficit, which stood at 5.8 per cent in 2024.
The country’s public debt reached 113 per cent of gross domestic product last year, well above European Union limits that cap deficits at 3 per cent of GDP and debt at 60 per cent.
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