Why France's PM Stepped Down After Just 27 Days – & Potential Happen Next

The French prime minister, Sébastien Lecornu, stepped down along with his government, under a month after his appointment and just moments after unveiling his ministers, dramatically deepening the country's governmental turmoil.

This marks another surprising turn 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 what just happened, the causes and what might come next.

What Just Happened?

The prime minister, after less than a month in office, submitted his departure and that of his government on Monday, only half a day following the ministerial lineup reveal. He became the briefest-serving PM since the Fifth Republic began.

Aged 39, former defence minister, a close ally of Emmanuel Macron, served as the fifth PM since the president’s re-election in 2022 and the third since Macron dissolved parliament and called early legislative elections that were held last summer.

He attributed the resignation to party-political intransigence, saying he had been “willing to negotiate, but every party wanted others accept their entire agenda.” He noted it “would require little to succeed,” but “ideological stubbornness” along with “certain egos” blocked progress, according to him.

His departure alarmed markets, as the CAC 40 fell 2% and the euro, 0.7%. France’s debt-to-GDP ratio ranks third in the EU behind Greece and Italy, nearly double the EU's 60% limit – similar to the nearly 6% deficit forecast.

Why Did It Happen?

The roots of the crisis lie in last year's sudden polls, which produced a split assembly split among three more or less equal blocs: the left, the far right and Macron’s own centre-right alliance, with no group coming close to a clear majority.

France’s financial crisis has only added to that instability, as have the 2027 presidential race. The president is term-limited, and with each party keen to stake out its ground before the vote, compromise in the assembly is increasingly elusive.

Lecornu faced a difficult task of passing an austerity budget through the divided assembly aimed at reining in the large fiscal gap – a challenge that ousted his two immediate predecessors, removed by lawmakers for similar efforts.

The immediate trigger leading to his exit appears to have been the reaction of the centre-right Les Républicains regarding the ministerial team. They claimed the similar composition did not reflect the “profound break” from previous approaches he had pledged.

Revealing key ministries last Sunday drew strong objections from across the political spectrum, as supporters and critics condemned it for being too conservative or insufficiently so, and endangering its stability.

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

What Might Happen Now?

The far-right National Rally of Marine Le Pen and Jordan Bardella has called on Macron to disband the assembly and hold fresh elections, while the radical left France Unbowed has reiterated longstanding calls for Macron's resignation.

Macron has three main options, all hazardous and uninviting. Initially, he might appoint another PM. Someone from his circle now appears unlikely, while even a moderate leftwinger could undermine his pension changes.

Alternatively, appointing a confirmed rightwinger would infuriate the left bloc. Due to urgent requirements to secure some agreement to at least pass a budget for this year, experts propose he might consider an independent expert.

Next, he could dissolve the national assembly 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 potentially usher in an RN government.

His final option would be to resign, but again, he has repeatedly ruled out standing aside before the presidential election in 2027 – an election viewed as pivotal in French politics, as Le Pen eyes a potential victory.