France’s newly re-appointed Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu admitted Saturday that few were willing to take on the job as he appealed for calm and cooperation in a country gripped by political and economic turmoil.
Lecornu was reinstated by President Emmanuel Macron late Friday after a week of intense political chaos, in what is widely seen as Macron’s last major attempt to revive his second term, which runs until 2027. Macron’s centrist bloc no longer holds a majority in the National Assembly, and his leadership faces growing criticism even from within his own ranks.
Speaking to reporters at a police station in L’Haÿ-les-Roses, Lecornu acknowledged the difficult task ahead and the lack of enthusiasm for the position. “I don’t think there were a lot of candidates,” he said.
Lecornu had resigned earlier in the week, just a month into the job, but agreed to return amid mounting financial pressures on the country. He emphasized the urgent need to pass a budget for the European Union’s second-largest economy, warning that his stay in office depends on political parties’ willingness to cooperate. “Either political forces help me and we accompany each other … or they won’t,” he said, alluding to the possibility of being ousted by a no-confidence vote in the fractured parliament.
He declined to say when he expects to form a new government or who will be part of it, but made clear that it would not include anyone preparing a run for the 2027 presidential election. He also sidestepped opposition calls to repeal the controversial pension reform law that raised the retirement age — one of Macron’s most divisive policies.
Macron’s recent prime ministers have fallen one after another in rapid succession, leaving France in a state of political paralysis at a time of ballooning debt, rising poverty, and market unease. Lecornu’s reappointment is seen as a high-stakes gamble to stabilize the government and restore confidence at home and abroad.