The Reasons Behind the French Prime Minister Stepped Down After Only 27 Days – & Potential Happen Next

The French PM, Sébastien Lecornu, has resigned along with the cabinet, under 30 days following his appointment and just hours after unveiling his ministers, dramatically deepening France's political crisis.

This marks the latest shock development following recent incidents indicating that the nation, the EU’s second-biggest member state, is becoming increasingly ungovernable. Here is a look at recent developments, the causes and what might come next.

Recent Events

Lecornu, after less than a month in office, tendered his resignation and that of his government this week, only half a day following the ministerial lineup reveal. He became the briefest-serving PM in modern French history.

Aged 39, former defence minister, aligned with the president, served as the fifth PM after Macron's second term and third leader since Macron dissolved parliament and called early legislative elections conducted months ago.

Lecornu blamed party-political intransigence, saying he had been “ready to compromise, but every party wanted others accept their entire agenda.” It would “not take much for it to work,” however “ideological stubbornness” and “personal ambitions” blocked progress, according to him.

His departure alarmed markets, with the CAC 40 stock index dropping 2% and the euro, 0.7%. The national debt ratio is the EU’s third-highest after Greece and Italy, almost twice the EU's 60% limit – as is the nearly 6% deficit forecast.

Why Did It Happen?

Origins of the turmoil lie in that 2024 snap general election, that resulted in a split assembly divided between three more or less equal blocs: the left, nationalist right and the president's centrist coalition, none nearing a majority.

France’s financial crisis worsened the uncertainty, along with presidential elections due in 2027. The president is term-limited, and with each party keen to stake out its ground before the vote, common ground in parliament has become even harder to find.

He encountered a difficult task to approve spending cuts in a fractured parliament aimed at reining in the large fiscal gap – a task that defeated his two immediate predecessors, removed by lawmakers for similar efforts.

The immediate trigger leading to his exit seems to be response from conservative parties to the new cabinet. The party said the largely unchanged lineup failed to represent a significant shift with past politics that Lecornu had promised.

But announcement of the main cabinet posts last Sunday drew strong objections from across the political spectrum, as supporters and critics condemned it for being too conservative or insufficiently so, and threatening to topple the new government.

Reappointing Bruno Le Maire, Macron’s economy minister for seven years, to government as defence minister particularly enraged politicians across factions, viewing it as proof that his economic agenda were not up for discussion.

Future Scenarios

Nationalist parties of Marine Le Pen and Jordan Bardella urged the president to dissolve parliament and hold fresh elections, while the radical left France Unbowed renewed demands for Macron's resignation.

The president faces three choices, all hazardous and uninviting. First, he might appoint another PM. A figure from within his own camp seems improbable, while even a moderate leftwinger could undermine his pension changes.

Alternatively, selecting a staunch conservative would anger left-wing parties. Given the pressing need to secure some agreement for approving annual spending, experts propose he might consider an independent expert.

Next, he may dissolve parliament and call fresh legislative elections, a move he has consistently said he is reluctant to do and surveys indicate would probably return another divided parliament – or bring nationalists to power.

His final option is stepping down, but again, he has repeatedly ruled out standing aside before the presidential election in 2027 – a vote seen as a historic crossroads in French politics, with Le Pen sensing her best ever chance of taking power.