Why France cannot escape its political crisis

Fourteen hours – that is approximately how long the ministers of Sébastien Lecornu’s government "lasted" in office. An absolute anti-record that will not be broken anytime soon.

Lecornu himself served as France’s prime minister only slightly longer – 27 days. But even that is a record low in the country’s history.

The resignation of the government was triggered by a conflict between the two key political forces that had formed it: the "Macronists" and the right-wing Republicans. But more importantly – this was already the third government resignation in the past year. And the chances that the next cabinet will manage to last even a year are close to zero.

Read more about France’s trajectory in the article by Yurii Panchenko, European Pravda's editor: 14 hours to bring down a government. how Macron is losing control in France.

Former defence minister Sébastien Lecornu, appointed by Macron as prime minister on 9 September, struggled for weeks to form his cabinet.

Finally, most ministers (though not all) were appointed on the evening of Sunday, 5 October. The rest were expected to be named after Lecornu’s address to parliament on 7 October.

The delay was due to difficulties with the Republicans – the right-wing political force and the only coalition partner of the Macronists. According to media reports, in exchange for joining the government, the Republicans demanded one-third of ministerial posts, as well as agreement on a stricter migration policy.

In this situation, leaving several portfolios vacant initially seemed like a smart tactic – it allowed the new government to begin work while negotiations with the Republicans continued.

But one Sunday appointment turned out to be a red rag for the conservatives: Bruno Le Maire was named minister of defense and veterans’ affairs.

On top of that, the Republicans were angered by the appointment of Roland Lescure, a member of Macron’s Renaissance party, as economy minister – a post they had coveted.

As a result, at their party congress, the Republicans decided not to join the coalition with the Macronists.

In such circumstances, the prime minister’s address to the National Assembly would have been an absolute humiliation – presenting his plans while already knowing the government coalition had collapsed. To avoid this embarrassment, Lecornu met with the president in the morning and submitted his resignation.

This latest government resignation has once again fueled calls for snap elections – at the very least parliamentary ones.

Indeed, if the year since the last election has shown anything, it is that the president has failed to find a way out of the political crisis, making a return to the voters increasingly necessary.

Does Macron still have a chance to avoid snap elections? Yes, but only a slim one.

One option is to strike a deal with the left-wing opposition. The leader of the Greens, Marine Tondelier, has already indicated that the president has made such an offer. According to her, they are considering the possibility of "appointing a left-wing prime minister."

This is why neither the Socialists nor the Greens are rushing to answer the call of far-left leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon to urgently meet and form a united position on early elections.

But the challenge facing the French president looks almost insurmountable.

Meanwhile, journalists spotted Emmanuel Macron walking alone along the Seine on the morning of 6 October. A perfect illustration of the situation in which the French president now finds himself.