French PM races to form government before budget deadline

PARIS — France's newly reappointed Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu on Saturday scrambled to get an austerity budget approved, as more parties threatened to topple him again, after his first term lasted only 27 days.

French President Emmanuel Macron announced Lecornu's reinstatement late on Friday, just four days after the prime minister resigned and his just-announced government collapsed.

The reappointment provoked outrage across the political spectrum and pledges to vote it down at the first opportunity.

To create a longer-lasting government, Lecornu pledged on Saturday to work with all the mainstream political movements and vowed to select cabinet members who are not "imprisoned by the parties".

He told La Tribune that he quit "because the conditions were no longer met" and said that he would do so again if the conditions remained the same.

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

France is struggling with mounting economic challenges and ballooning debt. The political crisis is aggravating its troubles and raising alarm across the European Union.

It is seen as a chance for Macron to reinvigorate his second term, which runs until 2027. His centrist camp lacks a majority in the National Assembly and he is facing increasing criticism even within its ranks.

But rivals from far right to far left slammed Macron's decision to rename Lecornu, France's fourth prime minister in barely a year.

Lecornu has to form a cabinet to present a 2026 draft budget.

Outgoing Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau told members of his right-wing Republicans party that they should "not take part" in Lecornu's next government.

The party said on Saturday it would not join the government but was "not in a position" to bring it down either, said its secretary-general Othman Nasrou, committing only to cooperate on a "bill-by-bill basis".

Meanwhile, the leftist Socialists, a swing group in parliament, said they had "no deal" with Lecornu and would oust his government if he did not agree to suspend a 2023 pensions reform that increased retirement age from 62 to 64.

Lecornu said on Saturday during a visit to a police station near Paris 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".

But far-right National Rally party leader Jordan Bardella — whose party has never been considered to play any role in a coalition government — called Lecornu's reappointment a "bad joke" and said he would immediately seek to vote out the new cabinet.

France has been mired in political deadlock ever since Macron gambled last year on snap polls that he hoped would consolidate power — but ended instead in a hung parliament and more seats for the far right.

The country faces EU pressure to curb 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.

However, time is running out to give parliament the constitutionally required 70 days to examine the budget before the year's end.

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

Lecornu, who previously served as defense minister, told French television late on Wednesday that he believed a revised draft budget for 2026 could be put forward on Monday, meeting the deadline for its approval by the end of the year.

Lecornu warned on Friday that all those who wanted to join his government "must commit to setting aside presidential ambitions" for the 2027 elections.

His suggested list of ministers a week ago sparked criticism for not being a sufficient break with the past, and on Wednesday, he said it should include technocrats.

Agencies via Xinhua