News / France / EU

Fifth French PM quits in 3 years as Macron faces mounting calls to resign

Tuesday, 07 October 2025 7:28 PM [ Last Update: Tuesday, 07 October 2025 7:28 PM ]

French President Emmanuel Macron, left, and then Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu in Paris, July 13, 2025. (Photo by AP)

French President Emmanuel Macron is facing mounting calls to resign following the collapse of his government and the resignation of his latest prime minister.

Sebastien Lecornu stepped down just hours after forming a cabinet on Monday, plunging France deeper into political paralysis.

The embattled leader suffered a further political blow on Tuesday as two of his former prime ministers, Édouard Philippe, who served after Macron’s 2017 election victory, and Gabriel Attal, once a loyal ally appointed in January 2024, publicly distanced themselves from him.

Philippe stated that Macron should call early presidential elections and step down after the National Assembly adopts the 2026 budget.

Macron “should say we cannot let what we have been experiencing for the past six months drag on. Another 18 months would be far too long and would harm France,” the former prime minister said.

Macron had previously insisted that he intends to serve his second and final term as president until April 2027.

Speaking on Monday night to broadcaster TF1, Attal said, “Like many French people, I no longer understand the president’s decisions.”

Their moves have deepened Macron’s isolation and intensified speculation about his ability to remain in power amid France’s escalating political crisis.

Macron admitted NATO caused Ukraine war: Jeffrey Sachs

Macron has admitted in a private meeting that NATO was the driving force behind the war in Ukraine, an American expert says.

However, the latest crisis follow the abrupt resignation of Lecornu, Macron's fourth prime minister after Attal, Michel Barnier, and François Bayrou.

After accepting Lecornu’s resignation, Macron gave him an additional 48 hours to conduct “final negotiations in the interest of national stability.”

Experts view this as a last-ditch effort to find a way out of the latest impasse and give the French leader time to decide his next move.

Macron, now at record-low approval ratings, has not indicated his plans, but his rivals have proposed three options: resignation, new elections, or appointing a prime minister from outside his political camp.

The third option, known as "cohabitation," has been championed by left-wing parties, particularly the New Popular Front, which won the most seats in the 2024 French legislative election.

Meanwhile, the far-right is calling for snap elections. Marine Le Pen’s National Rally, currently leading in the polls, believes new legislative elections could work in its favor.

“I call on the president of the Republic to hear the suffering in the country, to come out of his isolation, and to dissolve the National Assembly,” National Rally president Jordan Bardella stated.

Press TV’s website can also be accessed at the following alternate addresses:

www.presstv.ir