French PM faces uphill task to form government

French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu on Sunday was negotiating to form a government after losing a key political ally, with time running short before a fast-approaching budget deadline.

France has been gripped by political instability since President Emmanuel Macron called snap polls last year that he hoped would consolidate power but instead resulted in a hung parliament and gains for the far right.

Macron reinstated Lecornu late Friday, just four days after the premier resigned and his first government collapsed, triggering outrage and vows from opponents to topple any new cabinet at the first chance.

The former defense minister must now assemble a government to present a 2026 draft budget before a Tuesday deadline, giving parliament the constitutionally required 70 days to scrutinize the plan before year's end.

But the right-wing Republicans (LR), a key political ally, dealt a blow to his chances Saturday by announcing they would not take part in the new government but only cooperate on a "bill-by-bill" basis.

For his part, the premier has pledged to work with all mainstream political movements and vowed to select cabinet members who are "not imprisoned by parties."

A Macron loyalist who previously served as defense minister, Lecornu agreed after he quit to stay on for two extra days to talk to all political parties.

He told French weekly La Tribune that he resigned "because the conditions were no longer met" and said that he would do so again if that remained the case.

"I won't do anything foolish," he told the newspaper, which said his new cabinet could be announced on Monday or Tuesday.

The French president, facing the worst domestic crisis since the 2017 start of his presidency, has yet to address the public since Lecornu's first government fell.

On Monday, Macron is to travel to Egypt to support a Gaza ceasefire deal brokered by the United States – a trip that could delay the presentation of the draft budget.

'Everything possible'

Lecornu's reappointment comes as France faces political deadlock and a parliamentary impasse over an austerity budget against a backdrop of climbing public debt.

The country faces EU pressure to rein in its deficit and debt, and it was the fight over cost-cutting measures that toppled Lecornu's two predecessors.

Lecornu has pledged to do "everything possible" to give France a budget by the end of the year, saying restoring the public finances was "a priority" for the future.

But he is under pressure from parties across the political spectrum, including the leftist Socialists, who threatened to topple his government unless he backs away from the 2023 pension reform that pushed the retirement age from 62 to 64.

Lecornu said Saturday that "all debates are possible" over the pension reforms, and that his "only ambition is to get out of this situation that is painful for everyone."