French President Emmanuel Macron takes part in a event on industrial decarbonization at the National Museum in Oslo, Norway, on June 23, 2025. French President Emmanuel Macron visits the Kingdom of Norway on June 23 and June 24, 2025. (Photo by Odd ANDERSEN / AFP)
French President Emmanuel Macron is expected to name a new prime minister by the end of Friday, as mounting political pressure forces a response to the ongoing deadlock in the country’s leadership.
It remains uncertain whether the recently resigned Sébastien Lecornu—who stepped down after only four weeks in office—will be reinstated or replaced by a fresh face. His brief tenure has only added to the growing instability surrounding Macron’s administration.
Ahead of the decision, Macron invited leaders of parliamentary parties to the Élysée Palace for consultations scheduled at 2:30 p.m. local time (1230 GMT), according to French media reports. Notably absent from the talks were representatives of Marine Le Pen’s far-right National Rally and the far-left France Unbowed (LFI), both of whom declined to participate.
Several potential candidates have been floated in the French press as possible successors. These include Socialist Party head Olivier Faure, former prime minister Bernard Cazeneuve, centrist figure Jean-Louis Borloo, and François Villeroy de Galhau, current governor of the Bank of France.
The timing is critical. Under the French constitution, the government must present a budget to parliament by Monday—just days away. Only a sitting prime minister has the authority to submit it, making the urgency of the appointment all the more pressing for Macron’s already embattled administration.
While appointing a new premier is one option, calling early elections remains another possible route out of the impasse.
Adding to the tension, former prime minister Édouard Philippe—who served under Macron from 2017 to 2020 and is positioning himself for a presidential run—called on the president to resign.
Macron should announce he is “organising an early presidential election,” Philippe said during an interview with RTL radio on Thursday, arguing it may be the only viable path to end the prolonged political gridlock.
As the clock ticks down and pressure from across the political spectrum intensifies, all eyes are now on the Élysée Palace to see how Macron navigates one of the most critical junctures of his presidency.
