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The French leader has called upon Sébastien Lecornu to come back as French prime minister only four days after he left the post, causing a stretch of high drama and instability.

Macron made the announcement on Friday evening, shortly after meeting key political groups collectively at the presidential palace, except for the figures of the political extremes.

The decision to reinstate him was unexpected, as he stated on broadcast recently that he was not seeking the position and his role had concluded.

There is uncertainty whether he will be able to form a government, but he will have to act quickly. The new prime minister faces a deadline on Monday to put next year's budget before the National Assembly.

Leadership Hurdles and Fiscal Demands

The presidency said the president had assigned him to build a cabinet, and Macron's entourage implied he had been given “carte blanche” to act.

Lecornu, who is one of Macron's closest allies, then issued a comprehensive announcement on X in which he consented to responsibly the mission entrusted to me by the president, to do everything to secure a national budget by the end of the year and address the everyday problems of our countrymen.

Political divisions over how to bring down the country's public debt and cut the budget deficit have caused the resignation of multiple premiers in the past twelve months, so his mission is daunting.

Government liabilities earlier this year was nearly 114 percent of economic output (GDP) – the third largest in the eurozone – and this year's budget deficit is expected to amount to 5.4% of the economy.

The premier said that “no-one will be able to shirk” the need of repairing France's public finances. Given the limited time before the conclusion of his term, he cautioned that those in the cabinet would have to set aside their political goals.

Leading Without Support

What makes it even harder for the prime minister is that he will face a parliamentary test in a National Assembly where Macron has is short of votes to back him. Macron's approval hit a record low this week, according to a survey that put his approval rating on 14%.

The far-right leader of the National Rally party, which was not invited of consultations with political chiefs on Friday, commented that the decision, by a president “more than ever isolated and disconnected” at the presidential palace, is a misstep.

They would immediately bring a challenge against a doomed coalition, whose main motivation was avoiding a vote, Bardella added.

Building Alliances

The prime minister at least knows the pitfalls he faces as he tries to establish a cabinet, because he has already used time recently talking to parties that might participate in his administration.

By themselves, the moderate factions cannot form a government, and there are disagreements within the traditionalists who have supported the administration since he lacked support in the previous vote.

So he will look to progressive groups for potential support.

To gain leftist support, officials indicated the president was considering a delay to part of his divisive retirement changes passed in 2023 which raised the retirement age from 62 to 64.

That fell short of what socialist figures wanted, as they were expecting he would choose a prime minister from the left. Olivier Faure of the leftist party said “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 stated following discussions that the progressive camp wanted substantive shifts, and a prime minister from the moderate faction would not be accepted by the public.

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