Lecornu PM again: where is France heading?

Despite resigning last Monday, Sébastien Lecornu has now been appointed French prime minister for a second time. After presenting a new cabinet in which several key portfolios remain in the hands of the previous incumbents, he now faces the task of presenting a draft budget by Wednesday. Commentators doubt whether this means France is heading for calmer times.

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La Libre Belgique (BE) /

A country lurching from crisis to crisis

Even a new budget won't save France now, La Libre Belgique contends:

“The French state is lurching from crisis to crisis, hoping that the next one will be a little less violent and costly than the last. ... And if by some miracle the budget is passed, it will be distorted, watered-down and stripped of all meaning. The fears on all sides are only leading to feverishness, never to a clear vision. In this power vacuum, populists reign supreme - strong in their audacity and blind recklessness in the face of the magnitude of the challenges. ... In 2025, the task of a prime minister is not so much to govern as to calm the nerves of a panicked political class.”

L'Opinion (FR) /

Lack of moderation and cohesion

Polarisation still holds sway, L'Opinion concludes:

“The head of state has established a unique divide between the far right and the far left. ... RIP compromise, cohesion and moderation. The worn-out word 'responsibility' has ceased to have any value. How can anyone still believe that the crisis will be overcome and that France will get a budget, however shameful? ... The prime minister has recognised in good faith that he must steer his future government away from these evils. But after his policy statement there is no indication that he will deliver what the French people are waiting for: a moment of lucidity.”

taz, die tageszeitung (DE) /

Macron's stubbornness is absurd

For taz's France correspondent Rudolf Balmer, Lecornu's reappointment makes no sense:

“Since he is now receiving even less support and encouragement than in his first attempt, the plan seems doomed to failure. The fierce reactions of the opposition show that Lecornu cannot expect a period of grace. ... And there is also zero confidence in the ranks of the previous governing parties. Those who are still going along with this, like Lecornu himself, are doing so out of a 'sense of duty', but without conviction. Macron's dogmatism is absurd. More than ever, he seems to have locked himself away in the ivory tower of his hollow power, far removed from political reality.”

De Standaard (BE) /

Ideal for Le Pen

The far right in particular is capitalising on the chaos, says De Standaard:

“The political stalemate and the dispute of recent weeks have been a gift for Le Pen, whose popularity continues to grow. All she has to do is sit back and watch. What she has been saying for years about the political class in Paris being more worried about posts than the concerns of the people is repeated by many French people today. In recent days the boundary between the Rassemblement National (RN) and Les Républicains has become increasingly blurred, so that a right-wing alliance between the parties seems to be less and less of a taboo. The RN has already reached out to the conservatives to propose forming a joint government if the opportunity arises.”

The Independent (GB) /

Meltdown would be disastrous

All Europe should be hoping that Paris will overcome the crisis this time, The Independent stresses:

“It is self-evident that it is not a good sign for France that the best solution to Mr Lecornu's resignation after 27 days of trying to form a government is to ask him to come back and try again. But it is not good for the rest of Europe either. ... A meltdown in France would hurt its neighbours and embolden the Kremlin. So the whole of Europe, whether in the EU or, in the cases of the UK and Ukraine, outside it, should wish the French people well in coming to terms with the underlying causes of their political instability.”