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The French leader has requested his former prime minister to come back as French prime minister only four days after he stepped down, sparking a stretch of intense uncertainty and political turmoil.

The president made the announcement on Friday evening, following consulting with leading factions in one place at the Élysée Palace, excluding the representatives of the far right and far left.

His reappointment came as a surprise, as he said on broadcast recently that he was not seeking the position and his task was complete.

It is not even certain whether he will be able to assemble a cabinet, but he will have to start immediately. He faces a cut-off on Monday to submit financial plans before parliament.

Political Challenges and Economic Pressures

The Élysée announced the president had given him the duty of creating a administration, and his advisors suggested he had been given complete freedom to act.

Lecornu, who is one of the president's key supporters, then issued a detailed message on X in which he consented to “out of duty” the assignment given to him by the president, to do everything to provide France with a budget by the year's conclusion and address the daily concerns of our countrymen.

Ideological disagreements over how to lower France's national debt and reduce the fiscal shortfall have resulted in the fall of several leaders in the last year, so his mission is daunting.

France's public debt earlier this year was nearly 114 percent of gross domestic product – the third largest in the euro area – and this year's budget deficit is projected to amount to 5.4 percent of the economy.

Lecornu said that no one can avoid the imperative of repairing France's public finances. In just a year and a half before the completion of his mandate, he warned that those in the cabinet would have to delay their aspirations for higher office.

Ruling Amid Division

Compounding the challenge for Lecornu is that he will face a show of support in a legislative body where the president has is short of votes to back him. His public standing plummeted recently, according to a survey that put his support level on 14%.

Jordan Bardella of the far-right National Rally, which was excluded of consultations with party leaders on the end of the week, remarked that the decision, by a president increasingly isolated at the presidential palace, is a misstep.

The National Rally would promptly introduce a motion of censure against a failing government, whose sole purpose was dreading polls, the leader stated.

Seeking Support

Lecornu at least is aware of the challenges ahead as he tries to establish a cabinet, because he has already spent two days lately consulting political groups that might support him.

Alone, the moderate factions lack a majority, and there are divisions within the conservative Republicans who have assisted the administration since he lost his majority in recent polls.

So he will consider socialist factions for potential support.

As a gesture to progressives, officials hinted the president was evaluating a pause to part of his divisive pension reforms passed in 2023 which increased the pension age from the early sixties.

It was insufficient of what socialist figures wanted, as they were anticipating he would select a premier from their side. The Socialist leader of the leftist party said without assurances, they would offer no support to back the prime minister.

Fabien Roussel from the Communists said after meeting the president that the progressive camp wanted real change, and a leader from the president's centrist camp would not be accepted by the French people.

Greens leader the Green figure expressed shock Macron had offered the left almost nothing to the left, adding that “all of this is going to turn out very badly”.