French President Emmanuel Macron has accused opposition parties of fuelling instability, brushing aside calls for his resignation amid the country's worst political crisis in decades. Speaking in Egypt on Monday, Macron said rival political forces were 'solely responsible for this chaos' after they 'instigated the destabilisation' of Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu.
Lecornu, a Macron ally, was reappointed on Friday after his first government collapsed within 14 hours due to backlash over a lack of fresh faces. He has since assembled a new administration, appointing a mix of centrist stalwarts, civil servants, and civil society figures. Notable appointments include Jean-Pierre Farandou, former head of state railway SNCF, as labour minister, and Laurent Nuñez, former Paris police chief, as interior minister.
France has been in turmoil since Macron's snap election last year resulted in a hung parliament, divided among left, far-right, and centrist blocs. Some parties have called for Macron's resignation, but he insists his mandate is to serve the French people and ensure stability. His term ends in spring 2027, and he declined to speculate on a possible dissolution of parliament if the latest government fails.
Lecornu faces the urgent task of passing a 2026 budget by year-end. He told ministers to 'put egos aside' and work collegiately to overcome the political crisis, which he said is exasperating French citizens and global observers. He will deliver his first key policy speech to parliament on Tuesday afternoon.
The left-wing La France Insoumise and the far-right National Rally plan to table no-confidence motions. The Socialist party has said it will wait for Lecornu's speech before deciding, warning it could vote against the government unless he suspends Macron's controversial 2023 law raising the retirement age from 62 to 64. The new cabinet is expected to present a draft budget on Tuesday morning, including public spending cuts.
