Macron Reappoints Sebastien Lecornu as France's Prime Minister

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - French President Emmanuel Macron reappointed Sebastien Lecornu as prime minister just days after he resigned from the same position.

Lecornu, whose resignation was accepted on Monday, just weeks after taking office, is now tasked with forming a new cabinet, as stated by Macron's office on Friday, as reported by Al Jazeera.

The return of the 39-year-old man is a surprising move after Macron and political parties negotiated for days in an attempt to end the country's political impasse.

"I accept – out of duty – the mission entrusted to me by the President of the Republic to 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," Lecornu wrote in X.

"We must put an end to this political crisis that exasperates the French people and to this instability that is harmful to France’s image and its interests."

Speaking shortly after the appointment was announced, Natacha Butler from Al Jazeera, reporting from Paris, said, "Everything has been so unpredictable that nobody knew what to expect."

"This is just the latest twist in what has been a dramatic week in French politics."

Macron has met with leaders of all political parties except the right-wing extremist National Rally (RN) and the left-wing extremist France Unbowed party on Friday at the presidential palace, according to sources familiar with the matter.

Shortly before the meeting, the presidency, in a statement, called on all parties to recognize a "moment of collective responsibility," seemingly implying that Macron could dissolve the French Parliament if they did not support his chosen candidate.

Lecornu's reappointment shows that "it's clear Macron has run out of options," Butler said.

Following the meeting, "we heard party leaders … saying that they felt Emmanuel Macron was disconnected from what they wanted to put across on the agenda, that he didn’t understand their concerns and they felt ignored, as if the meetings had made the situation even worse," added Al Jazeera correspondent.

First appointed a month ago, Lecornu has faced increasing pressure in recent weeks as he struggles to get a budget through the fractured French Parliament amid a debt crisis.

Lecornu faces several challenges now, Butler said, as he must form a new government and present a budget for 2026 no later than Monday, October 13, 2025, in accordance with the French constitution for the budget to be approved by the "deeply divided" Parliament before the end of the year.

The difficulty in forming a government lies in the fact that many politicians, even those on the right political spectrum who previously supported Macron, now "don’t want to be part of his [Lecornu’s] government," Butler said.

"So it will be difficult for Lecornu as he will have a small pool from which to choose."

Lecornu resigned last Sunday after his proposed ministerial list for forming a government sparked criticism from both the right and the left camps. This was due to the inclusion of too many of the same faces from the previous government under former Prime Minister Francois Bayrou.

Macron Disconnected from Reality

By appointing Lecornu, the 47-year-old Macron risks angering his political rivals, who argue that the best way out of the deepest political crisis in decades is to hold snap parliamentary elections or resign.

Politicians from across France's political spectrum united to condemn Lecornu's reappointment.

The RN vowed to topple the new French government led by Lecornu, saying the government has no "future."

Calling Macron's move to reappoint Lecornu "isolated and disconnected" a "bad joke," RN leader Jordan Bardella said his party "will censure this futureless coalition" through a vote of no confidence in Parliament.

Francois Kalfon, a member of the Socialist Party, said, "Our scepticism grows by the day. We want something concrete on the pension reform. We are not afraid to return to the polls."

Matilde Panot, leader of the France Unbowed party in the National Assembly, condemned the reappointment. "Never before has a president wanted so much to govern by disgust and anger. Lecornu, who resigned on Monday, was reappointed by Macron on Friday. Macron miserably postpones the inevitable: his departure," Panot said.

Yael Braun-Pivet, president of the National Assembly, struck a different tone.

"I note the reappointment of Sebastien Lecornu as Matignon [the French prime minister’s residence]. For weeks now, the National Assembly has been in full working order, ready to play its role to the full: debating, scrutinising and voting. Now it’s time to get down to work. It’s about time!"

French politics have hit an impasse since Macron gambled last year on snap elections that he hoped would consolidate power, but ended up with an unbalanced Parliament and more seats for the far-right.

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