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The French leader has requested Sébastien Lecornu to resume duties as head of government only four days after he resigned, sparking a week of high drama and political turmoil.

Macron made the announcement towards the end of the week, shortly after consulting with leading factions in one place at the official residence, excluding the figures of the far right and far left.

Lecornu's return shocked many, as he declared on television only two days ago that he was not interested in returning and his role had concluded.

There is uncertainty whether he will be able to form a government, but he will have to act quickly. Lecornu faces a deadline on the start of the week to present the annual budget before parliament.

Political Challenges and Budgetary Strains

The Élysée announced the president had “tasked [Lecornu] with forming a government”, and those close to the president implied he had been given full authority to make decisions.

The prime minister, who is one of a trusted associate, then issued a detailed message on social media in which he consented to responsibly the mission assigned by the president, to do everything to finalize financial plans by the year's conclusion and tackle the common issues of our fellow citizens.

Partisan conflicts over how to lower government borrowing and reduce the fiscal shortfall have led to the ouster of two of the past three prime ministers in the last year, so his task is enormous.

France's public debt recently was nearly 114 percent of economic output (GDP) – the third highest in the currency union – and this year's budget deficit is expected to reach 5.4 percent of GDP.

Lecornu said that no one can avoid the need of restoring France's public finances. Given the limited time before the conclusion of his term, he advised that those in the cabinet would have to set aside their aspirations for higher office.

Ruling Amid Division

What makes it even harder for the prime minister is that he will face a show of support in a National Assembly where Macron has is short of votes to back him. His public standing plummeted recently, according to an Elabe poll that put his support level on 14 percent.

Jordan Bardella of the right-wing group, which was left out of consultations with political chiefs on the end of the week, said that Lecornu's reappointment, by a president increasingly isolated at the presidential palace, is a “bad joke”.

They would quickly propose a motion of censure against a doomed coalition, whose main motivation was fear of an election, Bardella added.

Seeking Support

Lecornu at least understands the obstacles ahead as he tries to form a government, because he has already spent two days this week meeting with parties that might participate in his administration.

Alone, the central groups cannot form a government, and there are disagreements within the right-leaning party who have helped prop up the ruling coalition since he lost his majority in elections last year.

So Lecornu will look to socialist factions for potential support.

In an attempt to court the left, the president's advisors suggested the president was considering a delay to part of his controversial pension reforms passed in 2023 which extended working life from 62 up to 64.

The offer was inadequate of what left-wing leaders wanted, as they were expecting he would appoint a leader from their side. Olivier Faure of the leftist party commented “since we've not been given any guarantees, we won't give any guarantee” in a vote of confidence.

The Communist figure from the left-wing party commented post-consultation that the progressive camp wanted genuine reform, and a premier from the moderate faction would not be supported by the public.

Environmental party head the Green figure remarked she was surprised the president had offered the left almost nothing to the progressives, adding that “all of this is going to turn out very badly”.