Another failed government, the inability to form a new cabinet, the refusal to hold snap elections and the infighting of a divided parliament have caused major political chaos in France, and nothing is over – Sebastien Lecornu, who resigned on the 6th of October, has been appointed Prime Minister again, writes Politico.
When Charles de Gaulle founded the Fifth French Republic in 1958, his main priority was to create a system that would ensure complete stability. Today, it is clear that the system is collapsing. The last Prime Minister appointed by French President Emmanuel Macron, Lecornu, resigned after just 26 days in office, unable to form a government. This has not stopped Macron from re-appointing him as Prime Minister.
Given the sorry state of French politics, it is tempting to blame Macron for everything, since it was he who decided to hold snap elections in July 2024, after which parliament became completely fragmented, and therefore unable to agree on important issues. However, to place all the responsibility on Macron would be to ignore a broader problem – France’s Fifth Republic is not designed for compromise and power-sharing.
The Fifth Republic was created as a contrast to the multi-party Fourth Republic, which replaced 21 governments in 12 years. De Gaulle’s system provides for broad presidential powers, supported by an absolute majority in parliament. This means that the system works well as long as the president’s party has a majority in parliament. Any other option creates chaos. If parliament is fragmented and an opposition party takes power, the result is basically stagnation. An even worse scenario has emerged now – after the snap elections, no party has a majority, and no party is interested in reaching a compromise. Party leaders have come to the conclusion that, since power is heavily concentrated in the president,
it is in their interest to avoid forming a government and to accelerate the presidential election
by all means, even if this means constantly changing prime ministers.
Gilles Gressani, director of the French magazine “Le Grand Continent”, pointed out that at the moment everyone is thinking only about the elections, and how they could become the next French president.
Five prime ministers, one after the other, have tried to reach an agreement on the budget with the largest parties in parliament. Each has realized that it is a futile effort, and each one has given up more and more quickly. In Lecornu’s case, it was only five days. He admitted that the ambitions of influential politicians threaten the country’s political stability. Lecornu made no secret of the fact that any potential minister from his party would have to abandon the idea of running for president.
In August, Macron himself suggested, during a meeting with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, that French lawmakers could take a cue from the Germans, who had just concluded a coalition agreement between the center-right and center-left. Macron said at the time: “On the other side of the Rhine, it appears that a conservative party and a socialist party are managing to work together. That happens not so far from us, and it works, so I think it’s possible.”
Even Italy, traditionally synonymous with political chaos, looks remarkably stable against France’s backdrop.
Unfortunately for Macron, there are no signs that French party leaders will be able to reach a compromise. In early October, as soon as Lecornu announced his resignation, far-right leader Marine Le Pen threatened to oust the next prime minister, whoever he might be.
In a country obsessed with politics, even outside observers are not immune to the problems of the Fifth Republic. Experts have pointed out for years that the current system is powerless, forcing opposition parties to work against any decision, and that it would be worth giving opposition parties, which enjoy greater voter support, a proportional role in government.
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