Sebastien Lecornu resigns amid France’s deepening political deadlock

Monday 06 October 2025 - 15:20

By: Dakir Madiha

Sebastien Lecornu resigns amid France’s deepening political deadlock

French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu has stepped down only a month after taking office, citing a paralyzing political deadlock that he says has made governance impossible. His resignation, announced on Monday, underscores France’s deepening political instability following a year marked by recurring crises and leadership turnovers.

President Emmanuel Macron accepted Lecornu’s resignation just hours after the prime minister unveiled the first members of his new cabinet. Lecornu, appointed on September 9 after François Bayrou was ousted by a no-confidence vote, said that political divisions had rendered effective governance unattainable.

“The parties continue to act as though each one holds an absolute majority,” Lecornu said, lamenting a political culture he described as self-serving and disconnected from public priorities.

Criticism of party divisions

Lecornu’s statement included a pointed critique of Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau, who also leads the conservative Les Républicains party. “One must always put one’s country before one’s party,” Lecornu asserted. “You have to listen to your activists, but always think of the French people.”

The outgoing prime minister accused political parties of prioritizing partisan agendas and electoral strategies over national unity, warning that this persistent obstructionism threatens France’s democratic integrity.

Mounting instability and European concern

France’s political gridlock has intensified since President Macron called a snap election in 2024. In less than two years, the country has cycled through five prime ministers, each struggling to navigate fractured parliamentary alliances and growing public disillusionment.

Following Lecornu’s resignation, the far-right National Rally urged Macron to either dissolve the National Assembly or resign himself. Party leader Jordan Bardella declared that “stability cannot be restored without a return to the polls and a new mandate from the people.”

Germany reacted cautiously, emphasizing the importance of France’s political stability for Europe as a whole. “There is no reason to doubt that France remains stable,” said German government spokesman Stegan Kornelius, noting that France’s continuity is crucial to the continent’s balance.

Lecornu’s abrupt departure adds yet another layer of uncertainty to France’s volatile political landscape, leaving Macron under mounting pressure to restore confidence both domestically and across Europe.