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The French leader has requested his former prime minister to resume duties as French prime minister just days after he left the post, sparking a period of high drama and crisis.

The president made the announcement late on Friday, following consulting with all the main parties together at the presidential palace, excluding the figures of the extremist parties.

His reappointment came as a surprise, as he stated on national TV just 48 hours prior that he was not “chasing the job” and his task was complete.

There is uncertainty whether he will be able to form a government, but he will have to act quickly. Lecornu faces a time limit on the start of the week to present the annual budget before parliament.

Political Challenges and Economic Pressures

The Élysée said the president had assigned him to build a cabinet, and Macron's entourage implied he had been given complete freedom to make decisions.

Lecornu, who is one of the president's key supporters, then released a detailed message on an online platform in which he agreed to take on responsibly the task entrusted to me by the president, to make every effort to provide France with a budget by the year's conclusion and address the everyday problems of our compatriots.

Partisan conflicts over how to bring down France's national debt and balance the books have caused the ouster of multiple premiers in the last year, so his mission is enormous.

France's public debt recently was close to 114% of economic output (GDP) – the number three in the eurozone – and current shortfall is estimated to amount to 5.4 percent of the economy.

Lecornu said that everyone must contribute the necessity of fixing the nation's budget. Given the limited time before the completion of his mandate, he cautioned that prospective ministers would have to put on hold their political goals.

Ruling Amid Division

What makes it even harder for Lecornu is that he will face a parliamentary test in a legislative body where the president has is short of votes to endorse his government. His public standing plummeted recently, according to an Elabe poll that put his support level on 14%.

The far-right leader of the National Rally party, which was excluded of consultations with faction heads on the end of the week, remarked that Lecornu's reappointment, by a president “more than ever isolated and disconnected” at the Élysée, is a misstep.

They would promptly introduce a motion of censure against a struggling administration, whose sole purpose was fear of an election, Bardella added.

Forming Coalitions

Lecornu at least is aware of the challenges ahead as he tries to form a government, because he has already used time this week talking to factions that might support him.

By themselves, the centrist parties lack a majority, and there are divisions within the conservative Republicans who have supported Macron's governments since he lacked support in elections last year.

So he will seek left-wing parties for possible backing.

As a gesture to progressives, officials indicated the president was considering a delay to portions of his highly contentious retirement changes implemented recently which raised the retirement age from the early sixties.

That fell short of what progressive chiefs desired, as they were expecting he would select a premier from the left. Olivier Faure of the Socialists said lacking commitments, they would withhold backing for the premier.

Fabien Roussel from the Communists commented post-consultation that the left wanted genuine reform, and a prime minister from the central bloc would not be supported by the French people.

Greens leader Marine Tondelier expressed shock Macron had offered the left almost nothing to the left, adding that outcomes would be negative.