By the beginning of the week, many were already writing political farewells to Macron's close aide and prime minister. "I wondered if there were still any Gaullists in this country," Socialist leader Olivier Faure praised his political opponent on the X network on Monday.
Le Corneille had just resigned – just hours after presenting his cabinet at the Élysée Palace. “There was one, and he has just resigned with dignity and honor,” wrote Faure about the shortest-serving prime minister of the Fifth Republic.
Macron's last trump card?
The reappointment of the same man has now thwarted all ambitions of the Socialist Party (PS) to finally take over as prime minister. Since Macron called early parliamentary elections in the summer of 2024, no political force has a majority in the National Assembly. However, the alliance that presented itself as the NFP – New Popular Front – made up of socialists, communists, greens and left-wing populists from “Unconquered France” (La France Insoumise, LFI), has more parliamentary seats than the two remaining major blocs – the right-wing National Alliance (RN) of Marine Le Pen and Jordan Bardella, as well as the presidential bloc expanded to include the conservative Republicans (LR).
Macron has always chosen prime ministers from within his own ranks. However, both Michel Barnier and François Bayrou fell in parliament. So is it time for cohabitation – cooperation between the president and the opposition bloc? And while an alliance with left-wing populists was ruled out in advance, it seemed that an agreement with the socialists was still possible.
Lecorni's Impossible Mission
On Friday, Macron summoned party leaders – he did not invite the heads of the far left and right – to the Elysee Palace to find a solution to the political deadlock. The 2026 budget must be submitted to parliament as early as next week to meet constitutional deadlines. Credit agencies and business circles are already worried about the high public debt and political turmoil, as France’s stability is at stake.
Tensions are particularly high over issues that have divided France for years – social policy, the retirement age and budgetary discipline. Unlike Germany, where compromise is part of everyday politics, France has no tradition of broad coalition governments. The austerity measures planned by previous governments for next year go too far for the Socialists, while Macron has strongly rejected the idea of rolling back or suspending an unpopular pension reform.
Socialists as the key
The Socialists, whose votes could decide the fate of the new government, are now putting additional pressure on the prime minister. If Le Corneille refuses to “immediately and completely suspend” the pension reform, parliament will oust him, Socialist Secretary General Pierre Jouvet told AFP on Saturday morning. In his statement, the prime minister must also promise not to use Article 49.3, which allows the budget to be passed without a vote in parliament. “If that doesn’t happen,” Jouvet said, “the deputies will vote no confidence in him.”
Observers are talking about a political dance on the edge. Lekorni must not completely offend the left – but at the same time he must not show weakness in front of the presidential camp.
"He has indicated that he could suspend the pension reform, which gradually raises the retirement age from 62 to 64, if he receives support or tolerance from the left," analyzes Jakob Ross of the German Foreign Policy Association (DGAP) - which, as the France expert adds, would be a "fatal signal."
Le Pen senses her chance
It is still unclear what Le Corneille’s second cabinet will look like. The pressure on the prime minister and the president is enormous – and not just from the left. In recent days, several of Macron’s close allies have distanced themselves from the president. Former prime minister Edouard Philippe, whose Horizons party currently has ministers, has even called on Macron to resign. Interior Minister Bruno Rétaille, who is also the leader of the Republicans, has already announced that he will not be part of the new government. Other ministers are also considering stepping down.
Marine Le Pen is watching the political drama from a safe distance. At the 131st National Congress of Firefighters in the province, she shows her closeness to the people, praises young recruits and calls for better equipment for the armed forces.
For National Alliance leader Jordan Bardella, Macron is “more isolated and alienated than ever.” He calls the new government “a bad joke, a democratic disgrace and a humiliation for the French people.”
On the X network, Bardella announces that he will try to bring down the cabinet as soon as possible. Le Pen and Bardella demand new elections – or the president's resignation.
Political theater
“Tonight I consider my mission accomplished,” Sebastien Lecorni declared on Wednesday evening before an audience of millions in prime time. According to many observers, his return merely postpones the inevitable elections. He is taking up the role without any enthusiasm. “I accept – out of a sense of duty – the mission entrusted to me by the president,” the new prime minister announced shortly after his reappointment. It is “a difficult but possible path.”
Many French people can no longer take political representation seriously. Trust in institutions, says France expert Ross, has been seriously undermined. This political exhaustion is also reflected in the polls: The National Alliance would currently win around 35 percent of the vote in the first round of any early parliamentary elections – leaving both the left-wing alliance and Macron's bloc behind.
More and more citizens are shocked by the chaos in Paris and are demanding accountability. According to the latest polls, almost two-thirds of French people now want Macron to resign. But he is ruling that out. He reportedly told party leaders at the Elysee Palace on Friday that he would stay in office for the full term, until the spring of 2027.
Bonus video:
