Following the no-confidence vote against François Bayrou, Emmanuel Macron has appointed Sébastien Lecornu—his right-wing right-wing right-wing right-wing right-wing right-wing right-wing right-wing right-wing right-wing right- wing right-wing left ...
The President of the Republic "has entrusted him with the task of consulting the political forces represented in Parliament to adopt a budget for the nation and to reach the agreements necessary for the decisions of the coming months. " Following these discussions, "it will be up to the new Prime Minister to propose a government to the President of the Republic. The Prime Minister's action will be guided by the defense of our independence and our power, by service to the French, and by political and institutional stability for the unity of the country. The President of the Republic is convinced that on this basis, an agreement between the political forces is possible, respecting each other's beliefs."
Lecornu becomes Emmanuel Macron's seventh prime minister and the fifth since the beginning of his second five-year term in 2022. This is an unprecedented situation in the Fifth Republic, long known for its stability but plunged into crisis following the dissolution of the National Assembly in June 2024. At 39, the former Norman senator, inextricably linked to the government since 2017, rose through the ranks to become Minister of the Armed Forces, an extremely sensitive post during the war in Ukraine, and established himself as a loyal and close associate of the head of state. Last December, Macron had already wanted to appoint him to Matignon, but his longtime ally Bayrou ended up prevailing. This time, the president did not hesitate, and this explicit appointment, contrary to his natural tendency to procrastinate, seems to indicate that it had been carefully prepared in advance.
After acknowledging his party's defeat in the post-dissolution snap legislative elections, attempting a semi-cohabitation with Republican opponent Michel Barnier and then with centrist Bayrou, he is now relying on a hardcore Macronist. "The president is playing Macronism's last card, entrenched with his small circle of loyalists," Marine Le Pen immediately quipped in X. Jean-Luc Mélenchon was also harsh, calling it a "sad comedy," and again: "Macron should resign." "Only Macron's own resignation can put an end to this sad comedy of contempt for Parliament, voters, and political decency," wrote the left-wing leader.
The conundrum facing the president, however, is the same one he has been unable to solve for over a year: finding a candidate capable of surviving in the face of an Assembly more fragmented than ever. At the Elysée Palace, the fragile coalition built a year ago between Macronia and the right is believed to be a given. The president has urged his leaders to "work with the Socialists" to "broaden" his base. But he has refused to appoint Olivier Faure as prime minister, despite his offers to help form a "left-wing government" that would seek "compromises."
To hold firm, the future government will need to secure, at the very least, a no-censure from the Socialist Party (PS), which is essential for France to prepare a 2026 budget. The preparation of the budget has just brought down the outgoing government, which had proposed a €44 billion budget. The budget timetable is already at risk of being derailed by this latest blip in the political crisis, following last year's unprecedented delay. And the political impasse risks unsettling financial markets, pending Fitch's decision on Friday, which could downgrade France's debt rating. Today, France has taken out a ten-year loan at a cost comparable to that of Italy, long considered among the least virtuous countries in Europe.
Beyond Olivier Faure's advances, the head of state has nevertheless rejected appeals from those urging him to meet with left-wing party leaders "before the decision," such as Ecologists leader Marine Tondelier, or to first appoint a "negotiator" capable of vetting possible coalitions . Beyond the budget, there was an "urgent need to appoint a prime minister" because "there must be no power vacuum" on the eve of the "Bloquons tout" (Block everything) movement, scheduled for Wednesday. And before the union mobilization on September 18, he had earlier in the morning hammered outgoing Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau, leader of LR, evoking a month "propitious to all excesses." Emmanuel Macron knows this: if he only has imperfect cards in his hand, the winning card he plays risks being his last before, in the event of another failure, he must dissolve the Assembly again, as the Rassemblement National is calling for. If there is a prolonged stalemate, pressure for his resignation would increase.
(Unioneonline/D)