FRENCH PRESIDENT EMMANUEL Macron has reappointed his outgoing prime minister, Sebastien Lecornu, back into that position – just four days after Lecornu gave his resignation.

“The president of the republic has nominated Mr Sebastien Lecornu as prime minister and has tasked him with forming a government,” the Elysee Palace said in a statement.

Lecornu, a former defence minister, resigned on Monday after less than a month in office, sinking the country further into a political crisis.

He was already the third person to serve as prime minister this year, as France struggles through a year-long political crisis that was sparked by Macron when he called legislative elections last summer.

Rather than give him the majority he desired to push through controversial reforms, voters gave him a hung parliament.

Lecornu’s initial resignation appeared to have been forced by the reaction of the right-wing Republicans to Lecornu’s cabinet announced the day prior, which led the party to consider its future in the government.

Macron has resisted calls to again order new snap legislative polls and has also ruled out resigning himself before his mandate ends in 2027.

Those presidential elections are expected to be a historic crossroads in French politics, with the French far-right under Marine Le Pen sensing its best ever chance of taking power.

With reporting by – © AFP2025