French President Macron Reappoints Sébastien Lecornu As Country’s Prime Minister Again

<p>In an unprecedented political turnaround, French President Emmanuel Macron has reappointed his centrist ally S&eacute;bastien Lecornu as prime minister&mdash;just days after accepting his resignation and witnessing his government collapse within 14 hours of its formation.</p>
<h2><strong>Lecornu Returns &lsquo;Out of Duty&rsquo;</strong></h2>
<p>Lecornu said he agreed to resume the role &ldquo;out of duty&rdquo;, pledging to &ldquo;do everything possible to provide France with a budget by the end of the year and to address the daily life issues of our fellow citizens&rdquo;.</p>
<p>He added, &ldquo;We must put an end to this political crisis that is exasperating the French people and end this instability that is harming France&rsquo;s image and its interests.&rdquo;</p>
<p>Macron&rsquo;s decision to reappoint Lecornu underscores the gravity of the political turmoil gripping France. Within his Renaissance party, MP Shannon Seban described Lecornu&rsquo;s return as essential for &ldquo;stability&rdquo;, while outgoing education minister &Eacute;lisabeth Borne said he could &ldquo;build compromise for France&rdquo;.</p>
<h2><strong>Opposition Slams Macron&rsquo;s Decision</strong></h2>
<p>However, opposition parties have sharply criticised the move, calling it a refusal by Macron to widen his government to reflect France&rsquo;s divided parliament.</p>
<p>Far-right National Rally president Jordan Bardella described the reappointment as a &ldquo;bad joke&rdquo;, a &ldquo;shame on democracy&rdquo;, and a &ldquo;humiliation for the French people&rdquo;. He vowed that his party would back a vote of no-confidence &ldquo;at the soonest opportunity&rdquo;.</p>
<p>The Socialist Party confirmed it had made &ldquo;no deal&rdquo; to avoid supporting a no-confidence vote, while Green Party leader Marine Tondelier labelled Lecornu&rsquo;s reappointment &ldquo;incredible&rdquo;.</p>
<h2><strong>A Leadership Crisis And Political Deadlock</strong></h2>
<p>Macron faces one of the most serious domestic crises since first assuming the presidency in 2017. Lecornu&rsquo;s dramatic resignation earlier this week&mdash;just 14 hours after unveiling his cabinet&mdash;came amid fierce criticism that he had failed to broaden his government to include a wider range of political perspectives.</p>
<p>At 39, Lecornu is France&rsquo;s third prime minister in just one year. Formerly defence minister, he gained recognition for overseeing an increase in military spending. His brief tenure reflects a broader pattern of instability following Macron&rsquo;s decision to call a snap election last year, which resulted in a fragmented parliament divided among left, far-right, and centrist blocs.</p>
<h2><strong>Fractured Parliament, Pressing Economic Challenges</strong></h2>
<p>France&rsquo;s parliament remains deadlocked, with no single group commanding a majority. A national budget for 2026 must be passed within weeks, but political divisions have paralysed progress. The reappointment came after a day of tense consultations between Macron and opposition leaders at the &Eacute;lys&eacute;e Palace. Several attendees later accused the president of being unresponsive&mdash;one describing the talks as &ldquo;like talking to a wall&rdquo;.</p>
<p>Julien Aubert, vice-president of Les R&eacute;publicains, condemned the decision as &ldquo;a provocation&rdquo;, saying: &ldquo;Reappointing the same prime minister after such a circus is a provocation &ndash; the messaging is terrible.&rdquo;<br />Others struck a more conciliatory note. Vincent Jeanbrun, the party&rsquo;s spokesperson in parliament, said the move &ldquo;gives a chance for stability&rdquo;.</p>
<h2><strong>Economic Impact Of Political Instability</strong></h2>
<p>Macron&rsquo;s approval ratings have dropped to historic lows, with political commentator Alain Minc telling BFMTV that the president had become &ldquo;politically radioactive&rdquo;.</p>
<p>France&rsquo;s central bank governor, Fran&ccedil;ois Villeroy de Galhau, warned that prolonged political uncertainty would hurt business confidence and economic growth. &ldquo;Uncertainty is &hellip; the number one enemy of growth,&rdquo; he said in an interview with RTL radio.</p>
<p>Under the French political system, the president appoints the prime minister to lead domestic governance while retaining control over foreign policy and national security. Lecornu is now expected to form a government over the weekend, with a first cabinet meeting scheduled for Monday.</p>