France has descended deeper into political uncertainty after its newest prime minister, Sébastien Lecornu, abruptly resigned just 26 days into the job, an exit that has thrown President Emmanuel Macron’s government into disarray. Lecornu’s resignation on Monday morning came barely a day after he unveiled his cabinet, which was immediately met with harsh criticism from nearly every political faction in the National Assembly.
The timing was shocking even by the standards of France’s recent political turbulence. Within hours of stepping down, the 39-year-old leader agreed to Macron’s request to devise a “stability plan for the country” by Wednesday evening — a final attempt to avert a full-scale crisis. Yet, as the Paris stock exchange suffered heavy losses amid fears of deepening political paralysis, France appeared to be teetering on the edge of yet another leadership collapse.
Lecornu’s downfall was as swift as it was dramatic. His freshly announced ministerial line-up was fiercely rejected by opposition parties, with some threatening to vote it down before it even reached the floor of parliament. The biggest flashpoint came from his appointment of former finance minister Bruno Le Maire as minister of the armed forces, a move that enraged both the left and the right.
By Monday afternoon, Le Maire a polarizing figure blamed by many for France’s mounting debt announced his withdrawal from the cabinet in a bid to calm tensions. “I will not be an obstacle to stability,” he said in a brief statement. But the gesture did little to ease the anger in parliament. The Élysée Palace later announced that Lecornu had been given 48 more hours to see if he could negotiate a compromise with rival factions and restore confidence.
This episode marks yet another chapter in Macron’s struggle to govern effectively since his party lost its parliamentary majority in 2024. Lecornu had been appointed only in September, after François Bayrou’s government collapsed when lawmakers refused to approve his austerity budget. Bayrou, in turn, had replaced Michel Barnier, who was toppled in December following a no-confidence vote.
Three prime ministers in less than a year and now a fourth crisis reflect the profound instability at the heart of Macron’s presidency. “The partisan appetites have become insatiable,” Lecornu said bitterly during his resignation speech outside the Hôtel de Matignon, his official residence. “All parties are behaving as if they had an absolute majority. I was ready for compromise, but every party wanted the other to adopt their programme in full.”
The roots of this ongoing chaos can be traced back to July 2024, when Macron called for snap parliamentary elections in the hope of securing a clear majority after a humiliating loss in the European Parliament vote. That gamble backfired spectacularly, resulting in a deeply fragmented parliament split among ideologically polarized blocs that refuse to work together.
Since then, no government has been able to push through meaningful legislation, leaving the French state paralyzed. With Lecornu’s departure, Macron faces growing pressure from opposition parties to dissolve parliament or even resign. “We need a new mandate from the people,” insisted Marine Le Pen, leader of the far-right National Rally, who has called for early elections. But Macron has repeatedly said he will not step down before the end of his term in 2027.
Insiders at the Élysée have suggested that Macron now faces three options if Lecornu fails to deliver a stability plan: appoint a new prime minister, dissolve the National Assembly for fresh elections, or resign himself. The last option remains the least likely. “He will not abandon his post,” one source close to the president told Le Monde. “But he knows time is running out.”
The difficulty, however, lies in finding anyone willing to take the job. Lecornu long seen as Macron’s loyal protégé and final card has now fallen. “If Lecornu could not succeed, who else can?” a centrist lawmaker asked rhetorically. Some suggest appointing a Socialist prime minister to calm tensions, but even that might only delay the inevitable. “The logic now points to new elections,” said one political analyst. “But the result would almost certainly be catastrophic for Macron’s centrist alliance.”
Lecornu’s resignation also exposed fractures within Macron’s own fragile coalition. The conservative Republicans (LR) and their leader, Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau, have emerged as a key source of disruption. Initially, Retailleau had agreed to remain in government, but after learning that Le Maire had been secretly named to the cabinet, he abruptly withdrew his support.
“I discovered the news like everyone else on television,” Retailleau fumed on social media. “This is not how trust is built.” His exit prompted a domino effect, with several centrist allies distancing themselves from Macron’s inner circle. Le Maire later stepped aside in an attempt to salvage the situation, but by then, the damage was irreversible.
In his farewell remarks, Lecornu reflected on the toxic political environment that has consumed France’s government. “It wouldn’t need much for this to work,” he said. “We only need humility and to cast some egos aside.” His words struck a chord with many French citizens weary of constant political infighting.
The country’s economic indicators paint an equally grim picture: a deficit of 5.8% of GDP and a national debt at 114% the third highest in the eurozone. For a nation that once prided itself on stability and strong governance, the current state of affairs feels unprecedented. “The government is collapsing under the weight of its own divisions,” wrote Le Figaro in an editorial. “France is drifting, and there is no captain at the helm.”
As Macron weighs his dwindling options, one truth has become unavoidable: time is not on his side. Every failed government deepens the public’s frustration and fuels the far-right’s momentum ahead of the 2027 presidential election. Even Macron’s once-loyal allies, including former prime minister Gabriel Attal, are quietly distancing themselves from his administration.
Political observers now speak of the “twilight of Macronism” an era drawing to a close as the president’s authority wanes and his supporters scatter. “It feels like the end of something,” said one centrist MP. “People are no longer fighting for Macron’s vision; they’re fighting to survive politically.”
For now, all eyes remain on the Élysée Palace as the president and his advisers scramble to prevent another political implosion. Whether Macron calls fresh elections or appoints yet another prime minister, the challenge ahead is monumental.
Lecornu’s 14-hour government the shortest in modern French history will be remembered as both a symptom and a symbol of France’s deep political dysfunction. In a country once revered for its robust democratic traditions, compromise has become a casualty of ego and division. And as Macron ponders his next move, one question looms larger than ever: can France still be governed at all?