CaliToday (07/10/2025): France was plunged into a profound political crisis on Tuesday after Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu announced his stunning and immediate resignation, ending his tenure after less than a month in office. The move has shattered the authority of President Emmanuel Macron’s government, triggering intense speculation about the dissolution of the National Assembly and the prospect of a snap legislative election.
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| French outgoing Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu, who resigned just a day after naming his government, arrives to deliver his statement at the Hotel Matignon in Paris, Monday, Oct. 6, 2025. (Stephane Mahe/Pool via AP) |
In a move that sent shockwaves through the nation's political establishment, Lecornu, who had been appointed in a bid to stabilize Macron's fragile coalition, submitted his resignation to the President at the Élysée Palace. The brevity of his time at the Hôtel de Matignon is unprecedented in modern French history and signals a deep-seated governmental instability that has been simmering since Macron lost his absolute parliamentary majority in 2022.
The resignation is a severe personal blow to President Macron, who had handpicked Lecornu, his then-Minister of the Armed Forces, to navigate the treacherous waters of a hung parliament. The strategy has now spectacularly backfired, leaving the President exposed and his domestic agenda in tatters.
A Government Paralyzed
At the heart of the crisis lies the intractable reality of France's fractured parliament. Since the 2022 elections, Macron's centrist "Ensemble!" alliance has been forced to build bill-by-bill coalitions with opposition parties, primarily the conservative Les Républicains, or resort to using a controversial constitutional tool, Article 49.3, to force legislation through without a vote.
This legislative deadlock has created immense frustration and has paralyzed key reforms. Lecornu's appointment was seen as an attempt to forge a more stable working relationship with the right, but his swift failure underscores the impossibility of the task. His departure effectively confirms that the current political arithmetic in the National Assembly is unworkable.
Macron's High-Stakes Gamble: Snap Elections?
With his government in disarray, President Macron is now facing a stark choice, with the most dramatic option being to dissolve the National Assembly and call a snap election.
This would be a high-stakes gamble. On one hand, Macron could be betting that French voters, faced with the prospect of continued chaos, would grant him the clear majority he needs to govern effectively. On the other hand, the move could backfire catastrophically. Recent polling suggests that both the far-right, led by Marine Le Pen's National Rally, and the left-wing NUPES coalition could make significant gains.
A poor election result could force Macron into a "cohabitation" – a scenario where the President and the Prime Minister are from opposing political parties. This would effectively render him powerless over domestic policy for the remainder of his term, which ends in 2027.
Opposition leaders have already seized on the moment, with voices from across the political spectrum calling for an immediate return to the polls. They are framing the resignation as the ultimate proof of the Macron administration's failure and inability to lead the country. As the search for a successor to Lecornu begins, all eyes are on the Élysée Palace, waiting to see if President Macron will risk it all in a bid to break the deadlock, or attempt to cobble together yet another government destined to struggle for survival.