Macron announces when he will designate a new prime minister, after Lecornu said that “he feels there is still a way”

French President Emmanuel Macron will appoint a new prime minister in the next 48 hours, his press office announced on Wednesday, specifying that most legislators have opposed the organization of early parliamentary elections in the context of the most serious crisis in France in recent decades, writes Reuters.

Sebastien Lecornu, the fifth prime minister of France in the last two years, presented his resignation and that of his government on Monday, just hours after announcing the composition of the cabinet. The Lecornu government thus became the shortest administration in modern France.

At Macron's request, however, Lecornu wore additional consultations with political leaders, from center-left-right, in the effort to defuse the crisis.

“Most deputies oppose the dissolution (Parliament); there is a platform for stability; it is possible to adopt a budget until December 31,” said the Presidential Bureau of the Élysée Palace, citing Lecorn's conclusions.

“On this basis, the President of the Republic will appoint a prime minister in the next 48 hours,” added the Élysée Palace.

No agreement to end the crisis

Lecornu resigned after the opposition, but also some allies, threatened to vote in Parliament, a signal of deep instability affecting France, where no group or party has the majority in Parliament, and the parties are struggling to reach compromises on major issues, including the recovery of the country's precarious finances.

He concluded two days of discussions with political leaders without reaching an agreement to put an end to the crisis, but said he sees a way to appoint a new prime minister soon.

Lecornu did not say who could be the next prime minister, stating that his mission was concluded and that the decision is Macron. The statement issued by the Élysée Palace on Wednesday did not specify who could obtain the function.

Lecornu: “I feel there is still a way”

“I feel there is still a way,” Lecornu said about the efforts to reach an agreement to adopt the budget for 2026 and to offer France, the second largest economy in the euro area, some financial stability.

After informing Macron about the result of his negotiations, Lecornu told France 2 TV, that it will be difficult to reach an agreement, but that, however, the prospects for Macron will be obliged to convene early parliamentary elections to get out of the deadlock are decreasing.

“I told the President of the Republic (…) that, in my opinion, the situation allows him to appoint a prime minister in the next 48 hours,” said Lecornu.

Macron, confronted with requests for resignation

Macron has faced this week with multiple requests to organize early parliamentary elections or to resign, especially from the extreme-right and extreme politicians, but also from some politicians within the center parties.

The immediate reaction of some opposition members has shown that the latest developments failed to calm their anger.

Laure Lavalette, deputy from the Extreme-Sight Party of Rassemblement National (RN-National Assembly), said that Macron is just trying to earn time.

Earlier on the same day, the leader RN, Marine Le Pen, who refused to participate in this round of discussions with Lecornu, clearly said he will not be part of any agreement.

“I will censor everything. It arrives, the joke lasted enough,” she told reporters, reiterating the request for organizing early parliamentary elections.

Jean-Luc melanchon, from the Extreme-Stânga Party in France Insouise (“unsubscribed France”), reiterated the opinion of his formation that the only way out of the crisis is Macron's resignation.

Who wants to lead the next government

After the meeting with Lecornu, but before his interview in France 2 TV, the head of the Socialist Party, Olivier Faure, and the green leader, Marine Tondelier, said that the left wants to run the next government.

The left wants a 2% wealth tax for the richest people in France (which means 0.01% of the population) in the budget for 2026 and wants to give up the unpopular reforms of pensions, measures that benefit from a strong public support, but which removes the Conservatives.

The markets were scared of the political paralysis in France, the investors being already nervous due to the huge budget deficit of the country.

However, French assets recorded a slight improvement on Wednesday, after Lecornu expressed its prudent optimism about the possibility of an agreement during the morning, the CAC 40 index of Paris registering an increase of 1.1% during the day. The French reference index remains, however, one of the weakest in Europe in 2025.