Macron Reappoints Sébastien Lecornu as France's Prime Minister After Days of Unrest
The French leader has requested Sébastien Lecornu to resume duties as the nation's premier a mere four days after he resigned, triggering a period of political upheaval and crisis.
The president declared late on Friday, shortly after gathering all the main parties collectively at the Élysée Palace, excluding the leaders of the extremist parties.
His reappointment was unexpected, as he stated on broadcast only two days ago that he was not “chasing the job” and his task was complete.
It is not even certain whether he will be able to form a government, but he will have to act quickly. Lecornu faces a time limit on Monday to put next year's budget before parliament.
Governing Obstacles and Fiscal Demands
Officials said the president had given him the duty of creating a administration, and those close to the president indicated he had been given “carte blanche” to proceed.
The prime minister, who is one of a trusted associate, then released a long statement on an online platform in which he accepted responsibly the assignment assigned by the president, to make every effort to provide France with a budget by the December and tackle the daily concerns of our fellow citizens.
Ideological disagreements over how to lower France's national debt and balance the books have resulted in the resignation of two of the past three prime ministers in the recent period, so his challenge is daunting.
France's public debt recently was nearly 114 percent of national income – the number three in the currency union – and this year's budget deficit is expected to hit 5.4 percent of GDP.
The premier stated that everyone must contribute the imperative of fixing France's public finances. Given the limited time before the end of Macron's presidency, he warned that prospective ministers would have to delay their political goals.
Governing Without a Majority
Compounding the challenge for the prime minister is that he will face a vote of confidence in a parliament where Macron has is short of votes to back him. Macron's approval hit a record low this week, according to a survey that put his public backing on just 14%.
Jordan Bardella of the National Rally party, which was excluded of consultations with faction heads on Friday, said that the prime minister's return, by a president out of touch at the presidential palace, is a misstep.
His party would immediately bring a vote of no confidence against a struggling administration, whose main motivation was avoiding a vote, the leader stated.
Seeking Support
The prime minister at least understands the obstacles in his path as he tries to establish a cabinet, because he has already devoted 48 hours this week consulting parties that might participate in his administration.
By themselves, the central groups cannot form a government, and there are disagreements within the conservative Republicans who have assisted Macron's governments since he lacked support in elections last year.
So Lecornu will look to progressive groups for possible backing.
To gain leftist support, Macron's team suggested the president was considering a delay to portions of his controversial retirement changes implemented recently which raised the retirement age from 62 up to 64.
That fell short of what socialist figures hoped for, as they were expecting he would select a leader from the left. Olivier Faure of the Socialists said lacking commitments, they would withhold backing in a vote of confidence.
Fabien Roussel from the Communists said after meeting the president that the left wanted genuine reform, and a leader from the central bloc would not be endorsed by the French people.
Greens leader the Green figure remarked she was surprised Macron had provided few concessions to the left, adding that the situation would deteriorate.