French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu Resigns
FRANCE – The French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu submitted his resignation to Emmanuel Macron on Monday following criticism over cabinet.
Lecornu’s resignation came right after he unveiled a new government featuring mostly the same names as the one that collapsed on Sept. 8.
His Cabinet has immediately started drawing criticism from opposition parties.
“The choice to keep this government unchanged, seasoned with the man who bankrupted France, is pathetic,” far-right National Rally leader Marine Le Pen said through the US social media company X.
Green leader Marine Tondelier noted that Macronists’ “contempt for democracy reaches a new level,” further criticizing Bruno Le Maire’s return to the government.
Socialist group leader Boris Vallaud also said that Macronists’ “obstination plunges the country a little deeper into chaos every day.”
Meanwhile, Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau announced that he was convening a strategic committee of the Republicans on Monday following the “political situation created” with the new announcement.
“The composition of the Government does not reflect the promised break,” he wrote on X.
Sebastien Lecornu’s Statement
“Being Prime Minister is a difficult task, without a doubt even a little more difficult at the moment. But one cannot be Prime Minister when the conditions have not been met for three weeks,” Lecornu said, speaking at the Hotel Matignon in Paris.
He explained that political parties pretended not to notice the “profound rupture” in his decision not to use Article 49.3 of the Constitution, a controversial provision that allows the government to pass bills without a parliamentary vote, which Lecornu announced he would renounce.
“Political parties continue to adopt a posture as if they all had an absolute majority in the National Assembly. And, in the end, I found myself in a situation where I was close to compromises,” Lecornu noted.
Stressing that the composition of the government “was not fluid,” he denounced the “partisan” ambitions of certain political parties, linked to the presidential election in 2027.
With Macron accepting his resignation, Lecornu became the shortest-serving prime minister of the Fifth Republic with 27 days in office.
French Politicians’ Reactions After the Resignation
Speaking to BFM TV, far-right National Rally leader Marine Le Pen noted that Macron’s resignation would be a “wise” decision, while also urging him to dissolve Parliament, which she considers “absolutely unavoidable.”
“France’s interest requires that Emmanuel Macron schedule his resignation, in order to preserve the institutions and resolve a situation that has been unavoidable since the absurd dissolution. He is the primary person responsible for this situation,” David Lisnard, vice-president of the right-wing Republicans, said through the US social media company X.
Leader of La France Insoumise (LFI) Jean-Luc Melenchon also called for “immediate” consideration of the motion to impeach Macron.
In the meantime, LFI parliamentary leader Mathilde Panot shared a petition calling for the impeachment of Macron, which was initially launched on Sept. 16.
Lecornu’s Controversial Cabinet
Under Lecornu’s new Cabinet, Roland Lescure, a member of Macron’s party and former industry minister, replaced Eric Lombard as finance minister.
Former Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire made his return to the government, taking over the Defense Ministry previously led by Lecornu.
Lecornu’s new Cabinet also included Eric Woerth as territorial organization and decentralization minister, Naima Moutchou as transformation and public action, artificial intelligence and digital technology minister, Mathieu Lefevre as the minister of relations with parliament, and Marina Ferrari as sports, youth and community life minister.
Those who remained in their posts included Interior Minister Retailleau, Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot, Education Minister Elisabeth Borne, Overseas Minister Manuel Valls, Justice Minister Gerald Darmanin, Labour and Health Minister Catherine Vautrin, Culture Minister Rachida Dati, Environment and Biodiversity Minister Agnes Pannier-Runacher, Agriculture and Food Security Minister Annie Genevard, Public Accounts Minister Amelie de Montchalin, Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot, and Gender Equality Minister Aurore Berge.
Lecornu was appointed prime minister after Francois Bayrou lost a confidence vote in the National Assembly on Sept. 8.
Bayrou, who unveiled a 2026 budget framework in July, was seeking support for a plan to save nearly €44 billion ($51 billion) as part of efforts to reduce France’s soaring public debt, now at 115% of its GDP.
France has one of the EU’s largest budget deficits at 5.8% of GDP.
Budget negotiations have been a major source of tension in French politics.
The failure to reach an agreement on the 2025 budget last year also led to the collapse of the Michel Barnier government in December after left-wing and far-right parties united behind a no-confidence motion.
