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President Emmanuel Macron has called upon his former prime minister to resume duties as head of government just days after he stepped down, sparking a stretch of intense uncertainty and instability.

The president stated on Friday evening, following gathering leading factions in one place at the Élysée Palace, omitting the leaders of the extremist parties.

Lecornu's return shocked many, as he said on national TV just 48 hours prior that he was not “chasing the job” and his task was complete.

There is uncertainty whether he will be able to establish a ruling coalition, but he will have to act quickly. He faces a deadline on the start of the week to submit financial plans before the National Assembly.

Political Challenges and Economic Pressures

The presidency confirmed the president had assigned him to build a cabinet, and those close to the president suggested he had been given “carte blanche” to make decisions.

Lecornu, who is one of the president's key supporters, then released a comprehensive announcement on social media in which he consented to responsibly the task assigned by the president, to strive to secure a national budget by the year's conclusion and tackle the daily concerns of our compatriots.

Political divisions over how to reduce government borrowing and reduce the fiscal shortfall have caused the fall of two of the past three prime ministers in the last year, so his mission is immense.

France's public debt earlier this year was close to 114% of national income – the third largest in the euro area – and this year's budget deficit is projected to hit over five percent of the economy.

The premier said that everyone must contribute the need of fixing the nation's budget. With only 18 months before the end of Macron's presidency, he warned that anyone joining his government would have to put on hold their political goals.

Governing Without a Majority

What makes it even harder for Lecornu is that he will face a vote of confidence in a legislative body where Macron has no majority to support him. The president's popularity plummeted recently, according to a survey that put his approval rating on just 14%.

The far-right leader of the National Rally party, which was left out of consultations with political chiefs on the end of the week, said that Lecornu's reappointment, by a president out of touch at the presidential palace, is a “bad joke”.

They would immediately bring a motion of censure against a struggling administration, whose only reason for being was dreading polls, he continued.

Building Alliances

Lecornu at least understands the obstacles in his path as he tries to form a government, because he has already spent two days recently meeting with parties that might support him.

Alone, the central groups are insufficient, and there are splits within the traditionalists who have supported the administration since he failed to secure enough seats in the previous vote.

So Lecornu will seek left-wing parties for potential support.

In an attempt to court the left, Macron's team indicated the president was thinking of postponing to portions of his controversial pension reforms passed in 2023 which extended working life from 62 to 64.

That fell short of what socialist figures hoped for, as they were expecting he would choose a prime minister from their side. Olivier Faure of the leftist party said “since we've not been given any guarantees, we won't give any guarantee” for the premier.

The Communist figure from the left-wing party said after meeting the president that the progressive camp wanted genuine reform, and a leader from the president's centrist camp would not be accepted by the French people.

Environmental party head Marine Tondelier expressed shock Macron had provided few concessions to the left, adding that “all of this is going to turn out very badly”.