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The French leader has called upon Sébastien Lecornu to resume duties as head of government just days after he stepped down, sparking a stretch of political upheaval and political turmoil.

The president declared on Friday evening, shortly after gathering all the main parties together at the official residence, excluding the representatives of the far right and far left.

Lecornu's return shocked many, as he declared on television just 48 hours prior that he was not interested in returning and his task was complete.

There is uncertainty whether he will be able to form a government, but he will have to start immediately. Lecornu faces a cut-off on the start of the week to put next year's budget before the National Assembly.

Leadership Hurdles and Budgetary Strains

The Élysée confirmed the president had assigned him to build a cabinet, and Macron's entourage suggested he had been given full authority to act.

Lecornu, who is one of the president's key supporters, then released a long statement on X in which he agreed to take on responsibly the assignment entrusted to me by the president, to strive to secure a national budget by the December and tackle the common issues of our compatriots.

Partisan conflicts over how to lower France's national debt and balance the books have led to the resignation of multiple premiers in the past twelve months, so his mission is immense.

The nation's debt earlier this year was close to 114% of economic output (GDP) – the number three in the euro area – and the annual fiscal gap is projected to amount to over five percent of the economy.

The premier emphasized that no one can avoid the necessity of repairing government accounts. Given the limited time before the completion of his mandate, he cautioned that prospective ministers would have to delay their political goals.

Leading Without Support

Adding to the difficulty for the prime minister is that he will face a parliamentary test in a legislative body where the president has is short of votes to endorse his government. The president's popularity plummeted this week, according to a survey that put his support level on 14%.

Jordan Bardella of the far-right National Rally, which was excluded of consultations with political chiefs on Friday, said that the prime minister's return, by a president “more than ever isolated and disconnected” at the official residence, is a poor decision.

They would immediately bring a motion of censure against a struggling administration, whose sole purpose was avoiding a vote, Bardella added.

Forming Coalitions

The prime minister at least is aware of the challenges he faces as he tries to form a government, because he has already spent two days this week consulting factions that might support him.

Alone, the moderate factions cannot form a government, and there are divisions within the conservative Republicans who have helped prop up the ruling coalition since he failed to secure enough seats in elections last year.

So he will consider progressive groups for future alliances.

As a gesture to progressives, Macron's team indicated the president was considering a delay to some aspects of his divisive retirement changes passed in 2023 which increased the pension age from 62 to 64.

The offer was inadequate of what progressive chiefs wanted, as they were expecting he would appoint a prime minister from the left. Olivier Faure of the leftist party commented “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 left wanted genuine reform, and a leader from the central bloc would not be endorsed by the citizens.

Greens leader the Green figure remarked she was surprised Macron had offered the left almost nothing to the left, adding that “all of this is going to turn out very badly”.