French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday asked his outgoing prime minister, Sébastien Lecornu, to hold last-ditch negotiations with political parties in a desperate attempt to defuse the country’s escalating political crisis, after Lecornu’s government collapsed within hours of being formed.
Lecornu tendered his resignation early Monday, only hours after announcing his cabinet lineup, making his administration the shortest-lived in modern French history.
The sudden resignation plunged France deeper into turmoil and rattled markets, sending the CAC 40 index down 1.3% and the euro slipping 0.2% to $1.172.
In a statement, the Élysée Palace said Macron had tasked Lecornu, who remains in charge of day-to-day affairs, with conducting “final negotiations by Wednesday evening to define a platform for action and stability for the country.”
Lecornu is expected to meet representatives of France’s major political parties starting Tuesday morning.
“I have accepted the president’s request,” Lecornu said, amid widespread uncertainty over France’s next political steps.
Macron now faces narrowing options: he could reappoint Lecornu, name a new prime minister, potentially from the left, or dissolve parliament and call snap elections. So far, he has resisted both calling elections and resigning himself, despite mounting pressure from across the political spectrum.
Far-right National Rally leader Marine Le Pen called the situation “a farce that must end,” urging Macron to dissolve parliament. The left-wing France Unbowed party echoed those calls, while the Socialists said they would prefer a leftist prime minister over new elections or a presidential resignation.
Lecornu’s cabinet announcement had immediately provoked outrage from both allies and opponents, who threatened to bring down his fledgling government. The chaos has left the French public disillusioned, with a new Elabe poll showing three-quarters of voters supported Lecornu’s resignation and nearly half blamed Macron for the crisis.
Many on the streets of Paris voiced frustration. “I’ve never seen this,” said 79-year-old pensioner Gérard Duseteu. “I’m almost ashamed to be French.” A student, Marius Loyer, said fresh elections seemed inevitable: “We cannot continue like this.”
France’s Fifth Republic, founded in 1958 to ensure political stability through a strong presidency, has rarely faced a crisis this severe.
But Macron, whose centrist movement shattered the old party system in 2017, now presides over a fractured parliament where no bloc holds a majority and coalition-building remains alien to French politics.
France’s political paralysis comes as its debt has surged to 113.9% of GDP and its deficit remains nearly double the EU’s limit.
Lecornu’s two predecessors were both forced out amid battles over public spending, and with investors watching closely, analysts warn that Macron’s latest crisis may prove the most destabilizing yet.
Source: Reuters
Written By Rodney Mbua
