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President Emmanuel Macron has called upon his former prime minister to resume duties as French prime minister just days after he stepped down, sparking a period of intense uncertainty and political turmoil.

Macron stated late on Friday, shortly after consulting with key political groups together at the presidential palace, excluding the representatives of the far right and far left.

His reappointment shocked many, as he said on national TV recently that he was not interested in returning and his “mission is over”.

Doubts remain whether he will be able to assemble a cabinet, but he will have to act quickly. Lecornu faces a deadline on the start of the week to put next year's budget before parliament.

Governing Obstacles and Economic Pressures

The presidency confirmed the president had assigned him to build a cabinet, and his advisors implied he had been given complete freedom to act.

Lecornu, who is one of the president's key supporters, then published a detailed message on an online platform in which he consented to “out of duty” the assignment given to him by the president, to strive to finalize financial plans by the year's conclusion and tackle the everyday problems of our countrymen.

Political divisions over how to reduce France's national debt and balance the books have led to the fall of multiple premiers in the last year, so his mission is enormous.

France's public debt recently was nearly 114 percent of national income – the number three in the eurozone – and this year's budget deficit is estimated to amount to 5.4% of the economy.

The premier said that no one can avoid the necessity of repairing France's public finances. In just a year and a half before the end of Macron's presidency, he cautioned that those in the cabinet would have to put on hold their aspirations for higher office.

Ruling Amid Division

Adding to the difficulty for Lecornu is that he will face a show of support in a National Assembly where Macron has lacks sufficient support to back him. The president's popularity hit a record low this week, according to a survey that put his support level on 14 percent.

Jordan Bardella of the right-wing group, which was excluded of Macron's talks with political chiefs on Friday, commented that the decision, by a president increasingly isolated at the official residence, is a “bad joke”.

The National Rally would quickly propose a vote of no confidence against a doomed coalition, whose only reason for being was fear of an election, the leader stated.

Building Alliances

The prime minister at least knows the pitfalls ahead as he tries to establish a cabinet, because he has already spent two days this week talking to factions that might participate in his administration.

On their own, the central groups are insufficient, and there are splits within the traditionalists who have supported the administration since he failed to secure enough seats in elections last year.

So Lecornu will look to left-wing parties for future alliances.

As a gesture to progressives, Macron's team indicated the president was thinking of postponing to portions of his highly contentious social security adjustments passed in 2023 which extended working life from the early sixties.

That fell short of what progressive chiefs desired, as they were expecting he would appoint a leader from the left. The Socialist leader of the leftist party commented lacking commitments, they would withhold backing for the premier.

The Communist figure from the Communists stated following discussions that the progressive camp wanted genuine reform, and a premier from the president's centrist camp would not be endorsed by the French people.

Greens leader Marine Tondelier remarked she was surprised the president had provided few concessions to the left, adding that the situation would deteriorate.