France’s Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu has resigned from his post, less than a month after being appointed — a political shock that leaves President Emmanuel Macron facing yet another crisis.
Lecornu’s resignation came just a day after his cabinet was unveiled. “The conditions were not met for me to continue as Prime Minister,” he stated on Monday morning, criticizing the lack of willingness among political parties to reach compromises.
The Élysée Palace confirmed the news following a one-hour meeting between Lecornu and President Macron. This move comes only 26 days after Lecornu replaced François Bayrou, whose government collapsed in early September.
Lecornu’s cabinet, which remained largely unchanged from Bayrou’s, drew harsh criticism from nearly all parties in the National Assembly, many of which threatened to bring down his government.
Opposition leaders have called for early elections, while some are demanding Macron’s resignation. However, the French president has repeatedly stated that he will not step down before his mandate ends in 2027.
“The only reasonable thing to do now is to hold elections,” said Marine Le Pen, leader of the far-right National Rally (RN). “The joke has gone on long enough. The French are fed up. Macron has placed the country in an extremely difficult position.”
Political analysts say the decision now lies entirely with Macron, who must choose how to end the growing political deadlock. The president has three options:
- Appoint another Prime Minister,
- Dissolve the National Assembly and call for new legislative elections, or
- Resign himself — the last being highly unlikely.
Given the current instability, early elections appear to be the most probable scenario, though analysts predict they would likely result in a major victory for the far-right and a heavy defeat for Macron’s centrist bloc.
Lecornu, a former Minister of the Armed Forces and one of Macron’s most loyal allies, was seen as the president’s last viable choice for stabilizing the government — but his rapid downfall underscores the deep fractures in French politics.
With this resignation, Lecornu becomes France’s fifth Prime Minister in less than two years, further highlighting the political turmoil gripping the Macron administration.
