Embattled French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu is set to deliver a make-or-break speech before a divided parliament on Tuesday, as two opposition parties move to unseat his fragile government.
France, the eurozone’s second-largest economy, has been gripped by a worsening political crisis that has shaken financial markets and raised doubts about the government’s ability to pass crucial reforms aimed at easing its mounting debt.
After a turbulent week that saw Lecornu resign and then swiftly reappointed, the 39-year-old leader has urged his newly formed cabinet to focus on steering the country out of political paralysis.
On Tuesday morning, Lecornu met with President Emmanuel Macron, who had just returned from Egypt after attending a summit focused on resolving the Gaza conflict. All attention will be on the prime minister when he addresses lawmakers at 1300 GMT to outline his policy direction—a moment that could determine the survival of his government.
The far-left France Unbowed and far-right National Rally parties have already submitted no-confidence motions seeking to topple Lecornu’s cabinet. While the Socialist Party has announced it will not support these motions—leaving them unlikely to succeed—the Socialists have threatened to introduce their own if Lecornu refuses to suspend the controversial pension reform that raised the retirement age from 62 to 64.
That reform, pushed through parliament in 2023 without a vote, sparked widespread protests across France and remains a source of public anger.
In a recent attempt to build goodwill with opposition parties, Lecornu pledged not to invoke the same procedural mechanism that forced through the pension law and promised that all future bills would be openly debated in the National Assembly.
However, the prime minister, who is the seventh to serve under Macron, has emphasized that passing a new budget by year’s end remains his top priority.
Addressing his ministers on Monday, Lecornu urged them to “show the utmost restraint and humility,” stressing that “service is something that requires putting egos aside.”
His immediate predecessors were both driven out amid fierce clashes over austerity measures, leaving Lecornu to shoulder the challenge of drafting a 2026 budget plan aimed at reducing the deficit below five percent of GDP, according to government spokesperson Maud Bregeon.
The government is expected to present the draft budget to parliament on Tuesday, giving lawmakers the constitutionally mandated 70 days to review it before year’s end.
Meanwhile, Macron is facing mounting political pressure, with critics demanding either snap elections or his resignation. Even his former allies, including ex-prime minister Edouard Philippe, have begun to distance themselves from the embattled president.
From Egypt on Monday, Macron shifted blame for France’s political turmoil onto opposition leaders, accusing them of creating instability. “Those who sought to destabilise Lecornu are solely responsible for this chaos,” he said, adding that “it is everyone’s duty to work towards stability.”
France has remained in political limbo since Macron’s ill-fated decision to call snap elections last summer, a move intended to strengthen his majority but which instead produced a hung parliament. The far-right National Rally emerged as the largest single party, intensifying the competition ahead of the 2027 presidential election, when Macron’s second and final term expires.
With France’s debt-to-GDP ratio now among the highest in the European Union—trailing only Greece and Italy—Lecornu’s address may be his last opportunity to convince parliament, and the public, that his government can deliver stability amid growing uncertainty.
What You Should Know
Sebastien Lecornu, France’s youngest prime minister in decades, faces his toughest political test yet as he battles to keep his government afloat.
His survival depends on balancing Macron’s reform agenda with the demands of a fractured parliament and a restless public, amid rising fears over France’s soaring debt and political instability.
