French President Emmanuel Macron has accused rival political parties of fuelling instability, dismissing opposition calls for his resignation amid France's worst political crisis in decades. Speaking in Egypt on Monday, Macron said many of those who had “fuelled division and speculation” had not “risen to the moment,” blaming political forces for the chaos after they “instigated the destabilisation” of Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu.
Lecornu, a Macron ally, held his first meeting with France's new government after appointing a mix of centrist stalwarts, senior civil servants, and civil society figures. New arrivals include Jean-Pierre Farandou, former head of state railway SNCF, as labour minister, and Laurent Nuñez, former Paris police chief, as interior minister. This is France's second government in a week; Lecornu's first collapsed after 14 hours amid backlash over a lack of fresh faces.
France has lurched from crisis to crisis since Macron's snap election last year, which left parliament divided among three blocs: the left, far right, and centre, with no clear majority. Some parties have called for Macron's resignation, but he insisted his mandate is to serve and ensure stability, declining to speculate on a possible dissolution of parliament or snap election 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 find compromise. The prime minister will deliver his first key policy speech on Tuesday, with left-wing La France Insoumise and the far-right National Rally planning no-confidence votes. The Socialist party has warned it could vote against the government unless Lecornu 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 cuts to public spending. The government must allow parliament 70 days to scrutinise the plan before year-end. “We have to give this country a budget, otherwise we're heading for catastrophe,” said new minister for external commerce, Nicolas Forissier.
