The next French government will have to reflect the composition of the National Assembly, outgoing Prime Minister Sebastien Le Corneille said after being reappointed as prime minister-designate.
"We need a government that reflects the reality of parliament, but which is not hostage to party interests," Lecorni told reporters after a visit to a police station in a suburb south of Paris.
When asked about the possible suspension of the French pension reform, Le Corneille said that "all debates are possible, as long as they are realistic," Reuters reports.
Lecorni called on political parties to cooperate and end the “ridiculous spectacle” that he said the country had witnessed in recent days, as it faces a deadline of Monday to present the budget.
President Emmanuel Macron's decision to reappoint Le Corni has sparked outrage among his fiercest opponents, who argue that the only way out of France's deepest political crisis in decades is to call new parliamentary elections or Macron's resignation.
Lecorni criticized the political blockade that has paralyzed the country. "What is ridiculous is the show that the entire political world has been putting on for several days."
He called on parties to overcome differences and adopt a budget by the end of the year — a key step toward curbing France's growing fiscal deficit.
"I have set myself a fairly clear task, and then – either the political forces will help me and we will cooperate to achieve it, or they will not," Lecorni said.
"It's about how we ensure that on December 31, France has a social security budget and a state budget."
Budget adoption faces major obstacles
When asked about the possible suspension of the controversial pension reform, Lecorni said that "all debates are possible, as long as they are realistic," hinting at possible flexibility towards a key demand from leftist parties.
Macron reappointed his close aide on Friday evening, just days after Le Corneille resigned, claiming it was impossible to form a government capable of pushing a budget bill through a deeply divided parliament.
Le Corneille's 27 days in office made him the shortest-serving prime minister in modern French history — but there's no guarantee he'll last longer this time.
Parties of the left, the radical left, and the far right have announced that they will vote for his ouster, so Lecorni now depends on the socialists, whose leaders are so far silent about their intentions.
The prime minister-designate has a number of urgent tasks ahead of him. He must present the draft budget by Monday — first to the government, and then to parliament the same day. That means he must appoint at least the ministers responsible for finance, the budget, and social security by then.
Neither the Elysee Palace nor the cabinet in Matignon gave any indication of when Le Corneille might name ministers, nor who would join his government.
In a post on the X platform on Friday, Le Corbusier said that anyone who joins his government must give up personal ambitions to succeed Macron in 2027 — in an election that is already destabilizing fragile minority governments and a divided parliament. He promised a cabinet of “renewal and diversity.”
Aims to reduce the deficit
Le Corcyra has not yet revealed details of the draft budget, but after resigning, he said the deficit must be reduced to between 4,7 and 5 percent of GDP next year - a larger deficit than the 4,6 percent targeted by his predecessor. This year's deficit is estimated at 5,4 percent.
It remains to be seen how he will proceed on the issue of repealing Macron's pension reform and introducing a tax on billionaires - two conditions that the Socialists have set as the price of their support for the government.
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