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President Emmanuel Macron has asked Sébastien Lecornu to return as head of government only four days after he stepped down, triggering a period of political upheaval and political turmoil.

Macron stated on Friday evening, shortly after meeting all the main parties together at the presidential palace, excluding the figures of the far right and far left.

The decision to reinstate him came as a surprise, as he declared on national TV only two days ago that he was not interested in returning and his task was complete.

It is not even certain whether he will be able to assemble a cabinet, but he will have to hit the ground running. He faces a cut-off on the start of the week to present the annual budget before the National Assembly.

Governing Obstacles and Budgetary Strains

The presidency confirmed the president had “tasked [Lecornu] with forming a government”, and those close to the president implied he had been given full authority to act.

The prime minister, who is one of Macron's closest allies, then released a comprehensive announcement on X in which he agreed to take on as an obligation the task assigned by the president, to strive to finalize financial plans by the year's conclusion and tackle the daily concerns of our compatriots.

Political divisions over how to reduce the country's public debt and cut the budget deficit have led to the resignation of several leaders in the last year, so his task is immense.

The nation's debt recently was nearly 114 percent of economic output (GDP) – the third largest in the currency union – and the annual fiscal gap is estimated to reach 5.4% of GDP.

The premier emphasized that “no-one will be able to shirk” the necessity of fixing the nation's budget. In just a year and a half before the conclusion of his term, he advised that anyone joining his government would have to delay their political goals.

Leading Without Support

Compounding the challenge for the prime minister is that he will face a show of support in a parliament where Macron has no majority to endorse his government. The president's popularity reached its lowest point in the latest survey, according to an Elabe poll that put his approval rating on 14 percent.

Jordan Bardella of the National Rally party, which was not invited of the president's discussions with party leaders on the end of the week, commented that the prime minister's return, by a president increasingly isolated at the official residence, is a poor decision.

His party would promptly introduce a motion of censure against a failing government, whose sole purpose was dreading polls, he continued.

Forming Coalitions

Lecornu at least understands the obstacles ahead as he tries to establish a cabinet, because he has already devoted 48 hours lately consulting political groups that might support him.

On their own, the central groups cannot form a government, and there are disagreements within the conservative Republicans who have helped prop up Macron's governments since he lacked support in elections last year.

So he will consider progressive groups for future alliances.

To gain leftist support, Macron's team indicated the president was thinking of postponing to portions of his controversial social security adjustments passed in 2023 which extended working life from the early sixties.

The offer was inadequate of what left-wing leaders wanted, as they were anticipating he would choose a prime minister from the left. The Socialist leader of the Socialists commented without assurances, they would offer no support for the premier.

Fabien Roussel from the left-wing party said after meeting the president that the left wanted real change, and a leader from the president's centrist camp would not be accepted by the public.

Environmental party head the Green figure said she was “stunned” Macron had provided few concessions to the left, adding that “all of this is going to turn out very badly”.