Emmanuel Macron has asked Sébastien Lecornu to remain as prime minister for a further 48 hours after the premier became the third French leader to resign in a year, deepening the country's political turmoil. Lecornu, who quit less than a month after his appointment, will use the time to conduct final negotiations on a platform for action and stability, with a decision expected by Wednesday evening.
In a spontaneous resignation speech on Monday, Lecornu blamed opposition parties for refusing to compromise, criticising 'egos' and 'partisan appetites'. The 39-year-old former defence minister, the shortest-serving premier in modern French history, said he had been ready to compromise but each party wanted its entire programme adopted. His cabinet had been announced barely 12 hours earlier.
The crisis began after Macron dissolved parliament last summer, resulting in a hung parliament divided into three blocs: the left, the far right, and Macron's centrist alliance. Lecornu's predecessor, François Bayrou, was ousted in September over proposed budget cuts. The new government, unveiled on Sunday, was virtually unchanged, drawing furious criticism from opposition politicians who accused Lecornu of backtracking on promised reforms.
Financial markets reacted sharply, with the CAC 40 index dropping 2% and the euro falling 0.7%. France's debt-to-GDP ratio is the EU's third highest, and its projected budget deficit of nearly 6% is almost twice the EU's permitted ceiling. Marine Le Pen's National Rally called for a fresh dissolution of parliament, while the radical left France Unbowed reiterated calls for Macron to resign. Macron has ruled out resigning before 2027 and is reluctant to call new legislative elections that could empower the far right.
