Lecornu’s new assignment caps a whirlwind 24 hours in French politics that has pushed the country ever closer toward a calamity with little precedent.
It began Sunday evening when the first batch of government ministers were named. Opposition politicians and potential coalition partners were disappointed as the group was drawn from a cast of characters that mostly resembled the government of Lecornu’s predecessor François Bayrou, which was toppled over its spending plans last month.
Bruno Retailleau, the head of the conservative Les Républicains, was reappointed as interior minister but immediately criticized Lecornu’s choices, which he said included too many officials close to Macron — such as former Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire, who had been tapped to become France’s armed forces minister.
Lecornu resigned just as Retailleau and Les Républicains appeared ready to bring down the government by withdrawing their support.
It’s unclear if Lecornu can bring enough concessions to the table in the next 48 hours to satisfy Les Républicains or enough of the opposition to pass a budget.
Le Maire, whose appointment was a particular source of concern for Les Républicains, announced that he had entirely forfeited his new role and would not even serve in a caretaker capacity.
“No individual situation should hinder the proper functioning of the country and of our institutions,” he said.