France's prime minister, Le Corney, who has resigned for less than a month, is carrying out the final mission entrusted to him by President Macron - forming a "stable France Action Programme" within 48 hours by negotiating with parties - and the negotiations have been ongoing in a vigorous manner.He plans to report the results to Macron on the evening of 8 local time, and Macron will make the necessary decision accordingly.Many foreign media say that due to the ongoing political impasse in France, in the past two days, Macron has faced tremendous pressure to dissolve the National Assembly or proactively resign.
According to reports, France's draft national budget for 2026 has caused strong controversy among various parties. The Macron government aims to push for the adoption of a draft budget that will reduce France's huge deficit, but plans that touch sensitive interests such as pension reform, tax policy and raising the retirement age have been unable to reach consensus among all parties in parliament. Since the 2024 election, Macron's middle camp has lost its majority in parliament. Under the current French system, this pattern allows opposition dissatisfied with the draft to easily veto the government's proposal and impeach the prime minister. If the draft budget is never passed, this "no-budget situation" will not only disrupt public services, but will also cause risks such as market turmoil.
Le Corni announced his resignation on the 6th and was approved by Macron. He then became the shortest-serving prime minister of the Fifth Republic of France and the seventh prime minister to step down during President Macron's term. Reuters said that Lekorny is currently following Macron's instructions and conducting intensive consultations with various political parties in the "last 48 hours". If all parties fail to reach a consensus, Macron may announce the dissolution of the National Assembly and hold early elections.
France's Le Monde said on the 8th that Le Corney delivered a speech at the Prime Minister's Office that morning and said that he had held consultations with all parties and that all parties were "interested" in finalizing the draft budget before the end of this year. The report mentioned that he was "cautiously optimistic" that the possibility of an early election had been greatly reduced.
According to reports, after the budget draft stalemate, Le Pen, the leader of the far-right party National League, said "the tragedy must end." She called on Macron to "seriously consider" dissolving the parliament and holding early elections, or "resign." Left-wing political party that advocated the abolition of Macron's pension reform, "Inevitable France," publicly shouted in parliament for Macron's resignation. Unlike the two groups that advocated early elections or dismissal of the president, the left-wing Socialist Party said it was committed to making Macron appoint a left-wing prime minister.
French media said that in recent days, many political allies have "cut" with Macron, and the president's centrist camp is accelerating its collapse. Edward Philippe, former French Prime Minister and Macron's political ally for many years, said in an interview on the 7th that finding a solution is Macron's responsibility."He must appoint a prime minister to handle current affairs and pass the budget, and then announce an early presidential election., and step down immediately after the budget is announced." Philip also said that it would be a "decent" practice for Macron to voluntarily resign. Since French politics fell into turmoil in June 2024, there has never been a public voice within the centrist camp calling for Macron to step down. Philip's move may trigger a "domino effect."
Attal, the former French prime minister and current chairman of the Baath Party founded by Macron, cautiously said that he "can no longer understand Macron's decision". Heavyweights in the presidential camp, such as Le Corny and Justice Minister Darmanin, also remained silent about Philip's statement. According to the French media, there is a competition among the so-called "Macronists" to see who can cut off the president faster and get rid of the "negative political assets" brought by him. According to Le Monde, behind the resentment and competition within the presidential camp, Macron's supporters are tearing each other down, with some leaning towards the left, while others trying to rebuild their friendship with the right.
George White, senior researcher at the Marshall Foundation, said Macron had three choices: appoint a prime minister from outside his camp, dissolve parliament, hold new legislative elections, or resign.
In addition, the opposition had previously initiated a recall motion against President Macron, but on the morning of the 8th, the Committee of the French National Assembly ruled that the motion was inadmissible. Among them, left-wing lawmakers supported the motion in the vote, while ruling party members and Republican lawmakers voted against it, and representatives of the "National Alliance" chose to abstain.