France entered new political uncertainty on Monday as Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu resigned, just weeks after his appointment by President Emmanuel Macron.
Lecornu, named prime minister on September 9, 2025, became Macron’s seventh head of government in eight years and one of the shortest-serving in modern French history.
His abrupt departure, first reported by BFM TV, followed mounting tensions within Macron’s centrist alliance and growing resistance in parliament over the proposed 2026 austerity budget.
Lecornu had been tasked with securing support for the fiscal plan in a divided National Assembly but faced opposition both from rival parties and within the ruling coalition.
The resignation came a day after Macron unveiled a new cabinet lineup, which critics derided as superficial and out of touch with public discontent over economic stagnation and the rise of the far right.
Despite reshuffling key positions — including moving Bruno Le Maire from Economy to Defence and naming Roland Lescure as the new Economy Minister — Macron’s government continues to face deep internal fractures.
Analysts say Lecornu’s exit underscores the president’s weakened grip on power and a coalition struggling to govern without a parliamentary majority
