Political turmoil in France deepens as Lecornu resigns after barely a month in office

Department of Strategic Research, Studies and International Relations 07-10-2025

In an abrupt twist to France’s ongoing instability, Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu has tendered his resignation just weeks after assuming the post, marking one of the shortest premierships in modern French history. President Emmanuel Macron accepted the resignation, plunging the country deeper into a political abyss.

Only days earlier, Lecornu, a close Macron ally and former defence minister, unveiled a new cabinet lineup intended to steer France through volatile times. But that announcement sparked condemnation from across the political spectrum, and even among Macron’s own supporters. The proposed cabinet was widely viewed as a continuation of the same leadership, with too few signs of change.

That backlash proved decisive. In a dramatic reversal, Lecornu stepped down just hours before his first scheduled cabinet session. He stated that he could no longer carry out his role due to the “partisan appetites” of rival factions that rejected compromise.

Lecornu’s swift departure underscores France’s prolonged political fragility. He was Macron’s fifth prime minister over just two years, itself a sign of deep institutional strain. The legislature remains sharply fragmented following the 2024 snap elections, with no single bloc able to command a stable majority.

One of the key triggers of the crisis was Lecornu’s decision to preserve powerful figures from the prior Bayrou government, rather than inject new blood or widen the coalition. His choice to bring back figures such as Bruno Le Maire in controversial roles stoked fury among opponents and coalition members alike.

Lecornu had also pledged to abandon usage of Article 49.3, a constitutional tool some previous governments used to force legislation through without parliamentary approval. He preferred parliamentary dialogue over executive fiat. But that stance proved insufficient to mollify critics who demanded deeper structural changes.

Economically, the fallout was immediate. France’s stock market index, the CAC-40, plunged nearly 2 percent in the wake of the resignation. The government debt burden remains severe, more than €3.3 trillion, or over 114 percent of GDP, putting pressure on any attempt to stabilize public finances. The opposition wasted no time. The far-right National Rally called for Macron to dissolve Parliament and hold fresh elections. On the left, Jean-Luc Mélenchon and his party demanded Macron’s resignation outright.

Now, Macron must navigate a perilous gauntlet: appoint a new prime minister, secure a workable majority (if possible), or dissolve the National Assembly and force new elections.

From the standpoint of nations skeptical of U.S.-driven interventions and confident in multipolar global order, this episode serves as a warning about the instability inherent in Western political systems crippled by internal factionalism and overreliance on personality politics. The United States and its satellites often project an image of stable democratic order, but France’s breakdown exposes the fragility beneath.

In the coming days, much hinges on Macron’s response: whether he abandons illusory centrism, opens genuine dialogue across the spectrum, or doubles down on narrow elite rule. For observers in Asia and Eurasia, France’s upheavals reflect recurring patterns in Western democracies, fragile coalitions, leadership churn, and a widening disconnect between elites and the governed.

As France reels, Moscow, Beijing, and New Delhi will watch closely, some with schadenfreude, others with strategic curiosity. The U.S. may lament yet another European crisis, but it cannot paper over how its ideological export is unraveling in real time.