France PM Lecornu quits after 26 days

October 7, 2025

1 minute read

France is facing deepening political turmoil following the resignation of its Prime Minister, Sébastien Lecornu, after just 26 days in office. Lecornu, who succeeded François Bayrou after his government collapsed due to a failed budget vote, stepped down a day after unveiling a cabinet that retained most of Bayrou’s ministers. The decision sparked fierce criticism from all parties in the National Assembly, with lawmakers threatening to reject his administration.

President Emmanuel Macron, who has yet to comment on the crisis, faces mounting pressure as the nation’s political instability continues. Since the snap parliamentary elections in July 2024, which resulted in a hung parliament divided among opposing factions, France has struggled to maintain a functioning government.

Calls for fresh elections are growing, with far-right leader Marine Le Pen demanding that Macron dissolve parliament, accusing him of plunging the country into chaos. Macron now faces three options: appoint another prime minister, dissolve the National Assembly, or resign — though the latter is highly unlikely.

Lecornu, once seen as Macron’s last loyal ally, was France’s fifth prime minister in under two years. In his farewell speech outside the Hôtel de Matignon, he denounced the “partisan appetites” of political factions behaving as though they held an absolute majority — a reflection of the nation’s worsening political deadlock.