Why the French PM Resigned After Just 27 Days – & Potential Happen Next

France's PM, the country's leader, has resigned together with his government, under a month following his appointment and within hours after unveiling his ministers, significantly worsening the country's governmental turmoil.

It is the latest shock development in a series of events that suggest France, the EU’s second-biggest member state, faces growing governance challenges. Here is a look at recent developments, why – and future possibilities.

Recent Events

The prime minister, who was appointed 27 days ago, submitted his departure and that of his government on Monday, barely 12 hours following the ministerial lineup reveal. This made him the briefest-serving PM since the Fifth Republic began.

The 39-year-old, ex-defense chief, aligned with the president, was France’s fifth prime minister since the president’s re-election in 2022 and third leader since Macron dissolved parliament and called early legislative elections conducted months ago.

He attributed the resignation to political rigidity, saying he had been “willing to negotiate, yet all factions demanded every other party to adopt its full programme.” He noted it “not take much for it to work,” however “ideological stubbornness” along with “certain egos” blocked progress, according to him.

The resignation alarmed markets, with the CAC 40 stock index dropping 2% and the euro declined 0.7%. France’s debt-to-GDP ratio is the EU’s third-highest behind Greece and Italy, nearly double the EU's 60% limit – similar to the nearly 6% deficit forecast.

Why Did It Happen?

Origins of the turmoil lie in that 2024 snap general election, that resulted in a hung parliament split among three more or less equal blocs: the left, nationalist right & the president's centrist coalition, none nearing a majority.

France’s financial crisis worsened the uncertainty, along with presidential elections due in 2027. The president is term-limited, and with each party keen to stake out its ground ahead of elections, compromise in the assembly has become even harder to find.

He encountered a difficult task of passing an austerity budget through the divided assembly targeting reduction of the yawning budget deficit – a challenge that ousted his two immediate predecessors, removed by lawmakers for similar efforts.

The immediate trigger leading to his exit appears to have been response from conservative parties to the new cabinet. They claimed the similar composition did not reflect a significant shift with past politics that Lecornu had promised.

But announcement of the main cabinet posts last Sunday drew strong objections from all sides, with allies and opponents denouncing it as either too rightwing or not rightwing enough, and threatening to topple the new government.

The return of Bruno Le Maire, long-time finance chief, as defense head particularly enraged politicians across factions, who saw it as a confirmation that his economic agenda was non-negotiable.

Future Scenarios

The far-right National Rally led by Le Pen and Bardella urged the president to disband the assembly and hold fresh elections, while the radical left France Unbowed renewed demands for the president himself to step down.

Macron has three main options, all hazardous and none very appealing. First, he could name a new prime minister. A figure from within his own camp now appears unlikely, while even a moderate leftwinger could undermine his pension changes.

On the other hand, appointing a confirmed rightwinger would infuriate the left bloc. Given the pressing need to achieve a minimum of consensus for approving annual spending, experts propose he might consider a non-party political technocrat.

Next, he may dissolve parliament and call fresh legislative elections, a move he has consistently said he is reluctant to do and which polls suggest could yield another split result – or potentially usher in an RN government.

The last choice would be to resign, however, he has refused to leave before the presidential election in 2027 – an election viewed as pivotal for France, with Le Pen sensing her best ever chance of taking power.