Sébastien Lecornu Reappointed Amidst Doubts Over Government Stability and Party Participation
Sébastien Lecornu's reappointment as Prime Minister encounters skepticism from political parties and key figures wary of government stability and participation amid pension reform tensions.
- • Emmanuel Macron reappoints Sébastien Lecornu as Prime Minister with a mandate to form a government and present a budget by Monday.
- • Rassemblement National, La France Insoumise, and Ecologists plan to censure Lecornu's government; Socialist party denies any prior agreement.
- • Leaders of The Republicans, Bruno Retailleau and Gérard Larcher, oppose their party's participation in the government.
- • Hervé Marseille (UDI) questions the viability of a technical government and advocates supporting the government without joining it.
Key details
Emmanuel Macron reappointed Sébastien Lecornu as Prime Minister on October 11, 2025, tasking him with forming a government and presenting a budget by Monday. Lecornu accepted the role 'out of duty' and prefers to exclude presidential candidates from his government. Despite receiving 'carte blanche' from the Élysée, the political atmosphere remains tense and skeptical. Key parties such as Rassemblement National and La France Insoumise have announced plans to censure Lecornu’s government, while Ecologist representatives are also inclined toward censure. The Socialist party denied any agreement with Lecornu, and The Republicans have yet to decide their official stance, with a meeting scheduled for Saturday morning.
Meanwhile, skepticism about government participation has been voiced by influential figures within the center-right. Bruno Retailleau and Gérard Larcher, leading figures in The Republicans, have expressed opposition to their party joining Lecornu’s government. Hervé Marseille, president of the Union of Democrats and Independents (UDI) and centrist group leader in the Senate, criticized the decision to rename Lecornu as "not a good idea politically." Marseille doubts the feasibility of a technical mission government detached from presidential ambitions, emphasizing that "choices are political." He highlighted increasing reluctance among politicians to join a seemingly unstable government and suggested that his party’s role should be to "support without participating." He also stressed the urgency for a budget that provides clarity and stability for workers, especially considering the contentious pension reform.
Lecornu’s government faces a complex challenge, with unresolved pension reform points as a central divisive issue. Macron's meetings with left, center, and right political forces underscored broad skepticism about the government’s direction, amidst ongoing threats of censure and uncertainty about party cooperation. The situation underscores the fragility and polarization affecting France’s political landscape as Lecornu seeks to secure stability and legislative success.