The Reasons Behind the French PM Stepped Down After Only 27 Days – and What Could Happen Next

France's prime minister, Sébastien Lecornu, has resigned along with the cabinet, less than a month following his appointment and just hours of the new cabinet being announced, significantly worsening the country's governmental turmoil.

This marks the latest shock development in a series of events that suggest the nation, the EU’s second-biggest member state, faces growing governance challenges. Here is a look at recent developments, the causes and what might come next.

What Just Happened?

The prime minister, after less than a month in office, submitted his departure along with the entire cabinet this week, only half a day after the key members of his cabinet had been announced. This made him the briefest-serving PM since the Fifth Republic began.

The 39-year-old, ex-defense chief, aligned with the president, was France’s fifth prime minister since the president’s re-election in 2022 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, yet all factions demanded every other party to adopt its full programme.” It would “would require little to succeed,” but “partisan attitudes” along with “certain egos” stood in the way, he said.

The resignation alarmed markets, with the CAC 40 stock index dropping 2% and the euro, 0.7%. France’s debt-to-GDP ratio ranks third in the EU behind Greece and Italy, almost twice the 60% permitted under EU rules – similar to the nearly 6% deficit forecast.

Underlying Causes

Origins of the turmoil stem from last year's sudden polls, which produced a split assembly split among three more or less equal blocs: the left, nationalist right and the president's centrist coalition, with no group coming close to a clear majority.

France’s financial crisis worsened the uncertainty, as have the 2027 presidential race. Macron cannot stand again, and with each party keen to stake out its ground ahead of elections, compromise in the assembly is increasingly elusive.

Lecornu faced the tough job of passing an austerity budget in a fractured parliament aimed at reining in the large fiscal gap – a task that defeated the previous two PMs, who were ousted by MPs over the plan.

The final catalyst leading to his exit seems to be the reaction of the centre-right Les Républicains to the new cabinet. The party said the largely unchanged lineup failed to represent a significant shift with past politics he had pledged.

But announcement of the main cabinet posts last Sunday prompted fierce criticism from across the political spectrum, with allies and opponents denouncing it as either too rightwing or not rightwing enough, and threatening to topple the new government.

The return of Bruno Le Maire, Macron’s economy minister for seven years, as defense head angered many lawmakers 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 has called on Macron to dissolve parliament and call new votes, as leftist groups renewed demands for the president himself to step down.

The president faces three choices, each risky and uninviting. Initially, he might appoint another PM. Someone from his circle seems improbable, while even a moderate leftwinger would challenge his hard-won pension reform.

Alternatively, appointing a confirmed rightwinger would infuriate the left bloc. Given the pressing need to secure some agreement for approving annual spending, some analysts have suggested he may try to turn to a non-party political technocrat.

Next, he could dissolve the national assembly and initiate new elections, a move he has consistently said he is reluctant to do and which polls suggest would probably return another divided parliament – or bring nationalists to power.

The last choice would be to resign, however, he has refused to leave prior to the 2027 vote – an election viewed as pivotal in French politics, as Le Pen eyes a potential victory.