Emmanuel Macron and Sebatien Lecornu earlier this year (Image: AFP via Getty Images)
Emmanuel Macron has been branded a “bad joke” after reappointing Sebastien Lecornu as prime minister four days after the minister’s resignation, drawing fierce criticism from French opposition leaders. The reappointment was announced in a one-sentence statement from the Elysee Palace in a move which came completely out of the blue. Mr Lecornu, 40, accepted the position “out of duty” and said he would work to produce a budget by the end of the year. He added that all members of the new government would have to renounce ambitions to run for president in 2027, describing the Cabinet as one that would “incarnate renewal and a diversity of skills”.
Jordan Bardella, president of the far-right National Rally (RN), described the Lecornu II government as “a bad joke, a democratic disgrace and a humiliation for the French people”. He said RN would “immediately censure this team without any future, whose sole raison d’etre is the fear of dissolution, that is, of the people”. Marine Le Pen, leader of the RN parliamentary group, called the reappointment a “transparent manoeuvre” to pass a budget by ordinances.
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Marine Le Pen was singularly unimpressed (Image: Getty)
Posting on X, she said: “The manoeuvres continue, [so] censorship is therefore necessary and dissolution is more urgent than ever.
She added that parties involved in the “shameful manipulation” would be “held to account at the next elections”.
Mathilde Panot, leader of the France Unbowed (LFI) parliamentary group, said Mr Macron was governing “by disgust and anger”. “Never before has a President wanted so much to govern by disgust and anger. Mr Lecornu, who resigned on Monday, was reappointed by Mr Macron on Friday. Mr Macron miserably postpones the inevitable: his departure,” she said. LFI has tabled a no-confidence motion and a new impeachment attempt against Mr Macron.
Jean-Luc Melenchon, founder of LFI, said on X: “At every turn of the merry-go-round, the pompon stays in the same place. Those who have been the scenery of this comedy are left with the ridiculous. Mr Macron cannot do anything other than Mr Macron.”
Luc Melenchon described the situation as ‘ridiculous’ (Image: Getty)
Marine Tondelier, leader of The Ecologists, said after talks at the Élysée that she was “dumbfounded by the reappointment of Mr Sebastien Lecornu… sad and angry for France tonight, and I apologise to the French for the image this gives”. She added: “It’s incredible that he (Mr Macron) would allow himself to do this, to re-appoint one of his very close friends when it is clear that he should… let the left and the ecologists govern.” She said there was “no argument not to censure”.
Pierre Jouvet, secretary-general of the Socialist Party (PS), said Mr Macron’s “irresponsibility… is total. He is today the main responsible for the political crisis our country is going through”. He added: “We repeat with force that there is no agreement between the Socialist Party and the President of the Republic. We will not be the lifebuoy of a Macronism that is taking on water from all sides.”
Fabien Roussel, secretary-general of the Communist Party (PCF), said Mr Macron was “completely cut off from the people. With his friends, they are the mercenaries of finance to the end.” The PCF said on X: “Unacceptable stubbornness of the president. Without a break, it will therefore be censorship: back to the polls!”
The political deadlock dates from Mr Macron’s decision in June 2024 to dissolve the National Assembly. The resulting elections produced a hung parliament, with no group holding a majority in the 577-seat chamber. Mr Lecornu’s initial Cabinet collapsed after 14 hours, following opposition from a coalition partner.
Marine Tondolier of the Ecologistes apologised to the French people (Image: Getty)
France faces economic challenges, with public debt at €3.346 trillion (£2.8 trillion), or 114% of GDP, at the end of the first quarter of 2025. According to the national statistics institute, the poverty rate reached 15.4% in 2023, the highest since records began in 1996. The European Commission has urged France to meet EU debt rules.
Mr Lecornu said earlier that a governing majority could be formed from Mr Macron’s centrist bloc, its allies and parts of the opposition.
He said:”There’s a majority that can govern. I feel that a path is still possible. It is difficult.”
Party leaders met Mr Macron for more than two hours on Friday but said afterwards they were uncertain about his next steps. The RN and LFI, the largest opposition groups in the Assembly, were not invited. The RN has called for new legislative elections, while LFI has demanded Mr Macron’s resignation.
Mr Lecornu may need to seek compromises, including on the 2023 pension reform that raised the retirement age from 62 to 64 without a vote. The reform was opposed by many parties.
The reappointment follows a month after Mr Lecornu’s initial appointment and four days after his resignation. Political leaders have warned that another prime minister from Mr Macron’s centrist group could face rejection in the Assembly, extending the crisis.
Ms Tondelier said before the announcement: “How can one expect that all this will end well? The impression we get is that the more alone he is, the more rigid he becomes.”
Mr Macron’s second term runs until 2027, and he lacks a majority in the National Assembly. Successive minority governments have faced instability.