Why the French PM Stepped Down Following Just 27 Days – & What Could Happen Next
The French PM, the country's leader, has resigned together with the cabinet, under a month following taking office and within moments of the new cabinet being announced, significantly worsening France's political crisis.
It is another surprising turn following recent incidents indicating that France, Europe's second-largest economy, faces growing governance challenges. Here is a look at what just happened, the causes and future possibilities.
Recent Events
The prime minister, who was appointed 27 days ago, tendered his resignation along with the entire cabinet on Monday, barely 12 hours following the ministerial lineup reveal. This made him the briefest-serving PM since the Fifth Republic began.
Aged 39, ex-defense chief, aligned with the president, was France’s fifth prime minister since the president’s re-election in 2022 and the third since Macron dissolved parliament triggering snap polls conducted months ago.
He attributed the resignation to party-political intransigence, stating he was “willing to negotiate, yet all factions demanded others accept their entire agenda.” He noted it “not take much for it to work,” but “ideological stubbornness” along with “personal ambitions” stood in the way, according to him.
The resignation spooked investors, as the CAC 40 fell 2% and the euro declined 0.7%. The national debt ratio is the EU’s third-highest behind Greece and Italy, nearly double the 60% permitted under EU rules – similar to its projected budget deficit of nearly 6%.
Why Did It Happen?
The roots of the crisis stem from that 2024 snap general election, which produced a hung parliament split among three nearly equal factions: left-wing groups, the far right & the president's centrist coalition, with no group coming close to a clear majority.
The economic downturn worsened the uncertainty, along with the 2027 presidential race. The president is term-limited, and with each party keen to stake out its ground ahead of elections, compromise in the assembly has become even harder to find.
Lecornu faced the tough job of passing an austerity budget through the divided assembly targeting reduction of the large fiscal gap – a challenge that ousted the previous two PMs, removed by lawmakers for similar efforts.
The immediate trigger leading to his exit appears to have been the reaction of the centre-right Les Républicains regarding the ministerial team. They claimed the largely unchanged lineup failed to represent a significant shift from previous approaches that Lecornu had promised.
Revealing key ministries on Sunday evening drew strong objections from across the political spectrum, as supporters and critics condemned it for being too conservative or insufficiently so, and threatening to topple the new government.
The return of Bruno Le Maire, long-time finance chief, to government as defence minister angered many lawmakers across factions, viewing it as proof that Macron’s pro-business economic policies was non-negotiable.
Future Scenarios
The far-right National Rally led by Le Pen and Bardella has called on Macron to disband the assembly and hold fresh elections, while the radical left France Unbowed has reiterated longstanding calls for Macron's resignation.
Macron has three main options, each risky and uninviting. Initially, he could name a new prime minister. Someone from his circle now appears unlikely, and a centrist left candidate could undermine his pension changes.
Alternatively, selecting a staunch conservative would anger left-wing parties. Due to urgent requirements to achieve a minimum of consensus for approving annual spending, some analysts have suggested he may try to turn to a non-party political technocrat.
Second, he could dissolve the national assembly and call fresh legislative elections, an option he has resisted and which polls suggest could yield another split result – or bring nationalists to power.
The last choice is stepping down, however, he has refused to leave before the presidential election in 2027 – an election viewed as pivotal for France, with Le Pen sensing her best ever chance of taking power.