The Reasons Behind France's PM Resigned Following Just 27 Days – and Potential Happen Next

France's PM, the country's leader, has resigned together with the cabinet, less than a month after his appointment and within hours after unveiling his ministers, significantly worsening France's governmental turmoil.

This marks another surprising turn in a series of events that suggest the nation, Europe's second-largest economy, faces growing governance challenges. Here is a look at recent developments, why – and what might come next.

What Just Happened?

Lecornu, after less than a month in office, submitted his departure and that of his government on Monday, 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.

Aged 39, former defence minister, aligned with the president, was France’s fifth prime minister after Macron's second term and the third since Macron dissolved parliament and called early legislative elections conducted months ago.

He attributed the resignation to party-political intransigence, saying he had been “willing to negotiate, but every party wanted every other party to adopt its full programme.” It would “not take much for it to work,” but “ideological stubbornness” and “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 its projected budget deficit of nearly 6%.

Underlying Causes

The roots of the crisis lie in that 2024 snap general election, that resulted in a split assembly split among three more or less equal blocs: the left, nationalist right & the president's centrist coalition, none nearing a majority.

France’s financial crisis worsened the uncertainty, 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 the tough job to approve spending cuts in a fractured parliament aimed at reining in the large fiscal gap – a challenge that ousted the previous two PMs, who were ousted by MPs over the plan.

The immediate trigger leading to his exit seems to be response from conservative parties regarding the ministerial team. They claimed the similar composition did not reflect the “profound break” with past politics that Lecornu had promised.

But announcement of the main cabinet posts on Sunday evening prompted fierce criticism from all sides, with allies and opponents denouncing it for being too conservative or insufficiently so, and threatening to topple the new government.

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 Macron’s pro-business economic policies were not up for discussion.

Future Scenarios

The far-right National Rally led by Le Pen and Bardella urged the president to dissolve parliament and hold fresh elections, as leftist groups renewed demands for Macron's resignation.

Macron has three main options, all hazardous and uninviting. First, he could name a new prime minister. A figure from within his own camp seems improbable, while even a moderate leftwinger could undermine his pension changes.

On the other hand, selecting a staunch conservative would infuriate the left bloc. Given the pressing need to achieve a minimum of consensus to at least pass a budget for this year, experts propose he might consider a non-party political technocrat.

Second, he may dissolve parliament and call fresh legislative elections, an option he has resisted and which polls suggest would probably return another divided parliament – or potentially usher in an RN government.

The last choice is stepping down, but again, he has refused to leave before the presidential election in 2027 – a vote seen as a historic crossroads for France, with Le Pen sensing her best ever chance of taking power.