Three French governments have collapsed in less than a year, plunging the country into a protracted political crisis that threatens to define President Emmanuel Macron's final 18 months in power. The latest minority government narrowly survived a no-confidence vote this week, but remains the weakest cabinet in decades and could be toppled at any moment if opposition parties unite against it.
The crisis stems from Macron's gamble in June 2024, when he called a snap parliamentary election that left the National Assembly split between three blocs: the left, the centre, and the far right. No group holds an absolute majority, and Macron's centrist base has begun to fragment. Political analysts say the president has accelerated underlying problems, including a financial crisis of public debt, social inequality, and the rise of the far-right National Rally, led by Marine Le Pen.
To stave off collapse this week, Macron and his new prime minister, Sébastien Lecornu, appealed to the Socialist party, offering to suspend the 2023 pensions law that raised the retirement age to 64. But the concession highlights the fragility of a government that must now navigate a brutal two-month battle to pass a budget.
Macron's popularity has plummeted to 14-16%, according to recent polls. Even his international profile no longer boosts his ratings at home. Stewart Chau, director of polling at Verian Group, noted that support has dropped among Macron's own voters, who see him as lacking empathy for daily concerns. “One of Macron’s biggest promises had been his vow to block the path of the far right,” Chau said, “but since he became president, more people view the RN as a credible alternative, not just a protest vote.”
Political historian Jean Garrigues described Macron's image as probably the worst of any president since the start of the Fifth Republic in 1958. With no end in sight to the deadlock, the president's domestic legacy risks being defined by chaos and ineffectiveness.
