Overview

• The Élysée said Lecornu was named prime minister and tasked with forming a government after talks with party leaders that excluded the National Rally and La France Insoumise.
• Lecornu accepted the post "by duty," pledged to deliver a budget and address daily concerns, and will assemble a cabinet while seeking cross-party backing.
• The immediate test is the 2026 budget, due to be presented on Oct. 13, with rival blocs threatening censure if their conditions are not met.
• Les Républicains signaled openness to a way out of the impasse, while Socialists and Communists warned they could table a censure motion without policy shifts, and far-right and hard-left leaders have vowed to censure Macron-backed options.
• Lecornu returns just four days after resigning hours into his first cabinet, highlighting repeated collapses of governments since the 2024 dissolution, including the failures of Michel Barnier and François Bayrou to hold office.