Overview

• President Emmanuel Macron accepted Sébastien Lecornu’s resignation and tasked him with last‑chance consultations, warning he will “take his responsibilities” if they fail and clarifying there is no automatic path back to Matignon for Lecornu.
• Sébastien Lecornu gathered leaders of the governing “socle commun” and set two priorities for any pact: securing the 2026 budget and addressing the future of New Caledonia.
• The Rassemblement national and its UDR allies vowed to systematically censure any government until dissolution or the president’s departure, sharply narrowing prospects for a durable majority absent a cross‑bloc agreement.
• Positions diverged across parties: the PS and Greens advocate a left‑led cohabitation, LR signals openness only to a cohabitation that preserves its autonomy, and LFI presses for Macron’s departure as the Assembly examines the admissibility of its destitution motion on Wednesday.
• External pressure mounted as Édouard Philippe urged an early presidential election after passage of the budget, and polling cited by French media showed roughly two‑thirds of voters favor dissolving the National Assembly.