French Prime Minister Resigns After Only One Month in Office

What Happened?

Sebastian Lecornu announced his resignation as Prime Minister of France after only thirty days in office. French President Emmanuel Macron has requested that Mr. Lecornu, who remains in a caretaker capacity, hold one last round of talks with political forces to ‘stabilize’ the country. Mr. Lecornu is expected to appear for a television interview and to present the conclusions of those talks to Mr. Macron on Wednesday.

Mr. Lecornu’s resignation makes him the fifth French Prime Minister to voluntarily leave office in the past two years. The departure of Mr. Lecornu also means the cabinet he had named will no longer be formed.

Why it Matters

The resignation of Mr. Lecornu moves France from a period of political upheaval into a full-blown crisis. France’s legislature remains divided over how to address the country’s swelling national debt, which is the root cause of the current impasse. Mr. Lecornu publicly said that three weeks of negotiations with parties from across the political spectrum, unions, and business leaders had failed to build consensus behind France's top domestic priority: agreeing on next year's budget.

Under the French system of government, the President handles national defense and foreign affairs while the Prime Minister is responsible for domestic policies. France’s growing national debt has spawned a wide range of different solutions, but thus far, none of the major political parties appear to be willing to compromise with each other. 

Unlike the United States, where Congress is divided between Democrats and Republicans, in France’s national assembly, there is a three-way division between the political left, center, and far right. The result of the three-way division is that no political party has enough votes to reach a majority, and none of the groups are willing to cooperate with each other. As a result, the French parliament has been stuck and unable to move forward.

One of the Prime Minister’s jobs is to form coalitions in order to enact policies and plan the next year’s budget. But none of the past five Prime Ministers have been able to reach any type of consensus among the different political factions. The far left and far right have briefly worked together, but only to force the resignation of the past five Prime Ministers. 

The way ahead is uncertain. French President Macron could dissolve Parliament and hold new elections, but there is little guarantee the outcome would be any different from the current stalemate. 

How it Affects You

France is the largest country in the European Union and a critical member of the NATO alliance. If unresolved, the political turmoil in France could have ramifications beyond its borders, particularly in Europe. New elections in France could result in the far left or far right gaining power, since the more extreme parties have had more success in advocating their respective agendas.