By John Q. Hosedrinker 
Political instability has gripped France since the snap parliamentary elections in July 2024, resulting in a hung parliament and a series of prime ministers failing to secure support. Marine Le Pen has called for early elections. The current prime minister, Lecornu, also resigned after less than a month, further highlighting the deadlock caused by ideologically opposed factions refusing to compromise. The nation’s economic situation has deteriorated with the third-highest public debt in the eurozone, and financial markets responded negatively to Lecornu’s resignation.
Read the original article here
French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu resigns after less than a month. Well, that’s certainly a headline you don’t see every day, is it? It’s frankly mind-boggling, and more than a little bit amusing, to witness such a rapid turnover in a position of such importance. It’s also pretty clear that the French political landscape is… let’s say, *dynamic*. We’re not even talking about weeks here; we’re talking about a timeframe best measured in Scaramuccis and Liz Trusses.
Sébastien Lecornu was appointed Prime Minister on September 9th. That means, for a little over a month, he held the reins. Now, while the exact details of what he *did* during that time are a bit fuzzy, the main takeaway is that he didn’t last long. That’s right, less than a month. He announced his cabinet on the 5th of October, packed with familiar faces from previous, ousted governments. A “clean break” it was not. This didn’t sit well with everyone, including Bruno Retailleau, a nomination who pointed out the lack of novelty, and even threatened to resign from his would-be ministry. Within twenty-four hours of revealing his cabinet, Lecornu had thrown in the towel. Talk about a quick exit!
The irony, of course, is that he’s walking away with a hefty payout. A few hours of work will earn him a substantial salary for three months, plus those coveted lifetime perks that come with the job. It paints a pretty vivid picture of the inner workings of French politics, doesn’t it? Chaos, instability, and a whole lot of… let’s call it *churn*. The underlying cause of this whole mess stems from last year’s snap elections. President Macron, hoping for a stronger majority, called for the vote, but the results were far from what he wanted. His party didn’t get the support required, with the far-right gaining significant ground, and a coalition of left-wing parties taking a sizable chunk of the pie. Macron’s refusal to work with the left, due to his very strong neoliberal views, has been a major contributing factor to the ongoing instability.
It’s been a whirlwind of political appointments and resignations ever since. Lecornu is the third Prime Minister in just over a year. The previous one also spent weeks prepping the government, announcing ministers, and then ultimately facing immediate backlash. It seems that he couldn’t even truly begin governing before deciding to throw in the towel. This entire situation seems to have been engineered to avoid a left-wing government.
The response from the sidelines has been, to put it mildly, colorful. Plenty of comparisons to other political woes internationally. The sentiment seems to be a mixture of laughter, bewilderment, and a touch of “welcome to the club!” from the British. France, apparently, is the new Italy when it comes to rapid changes in leadership. Suggestions abound, from the need to consider the socialists who won the last election, to outright calls for Macron himself to step down. The frustration is palpable, and the feeling is that Macron should have resigned.
What is clear is that the current situation feels deadlocked. The left has been unwilling to concede, the center has shown its willingness to work with the right and not the left. With no cooperation among the groups, it’s tough to see a path out. The only way is to consider a new legislative election. The future remains uncertain, and the political landscape of France continues to be a fascinating, if slightly chaotic, spectacle. Perhaps the only thing more interesting than the situation itself is the immediate reactions.