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President Emmanuel Macron has requested Sébastien Lecornu to come back as head of government just days after he left the post, sparking a period of high drama and political turmoil.

Macron stated on Friday evening, hours after gathering leading factions in one place at the official residence, omitting the representatives of the extremist parties.

His reappointment came as a surprise, as he stated on broadcast only two days ago that he was not “chasing the job” and his “mission is over”.

It is not even certain whether he will be able to form a government, but he will have to start immediately. He faces a time limit on the start of the week to present the annual budget before parliament.

Political Challenges and Fiscal Demands

The Élysée said the president had “tasked [Lecornu] with forming a government”, and those close to the president implied he had been given complete freedom to proceed.

The prime minister, who is one of the president's key supporters, then issued a detailed message on an online platform in which he agreed to take on “out of duty” the assignment assigned by the president, to strive to secure a national budget by the end of the year and tackle the everyday problems of our countrymen.

Partisan conflicts over how to lower France's national debt and cut the budget deficit have resulted in the ouster of several leaders in the recent period, so his task is immense.

France's public debt earlier this year was almost 114% of national income – the third largest in the currency union – and the annual fiscal gap is expected to amount to 5.4% of the economy.

The premier emphasized that “no-one will be able to shirk” the need of restoring government accounts. With only 18 months before the conclusion of his term, he warned that anyone joining his government would have to set aside their political goals.

Governing Without a Majority

What makes it even harder for the prime minister is that he will face a show of support in a National Assembly where the president has lacks sufficient support to endorse his government. Macron's approval reached its lowest point this week, according to a survey that put his public backing on just 14%.

The far-right leader of the far-right National Rally, which was excluded of the president's discussions with party leaders on the end of the week, remarked that the decision, by a president “more than ever isolated and disconnected” at the presidential palace, is a poor decision.

They would quickly propose a challenge against a failing government, whose main motivation was avoiding a vote, the leader stated.

Forming Coalitions

The prime minister at least is aware of the challenges ahead as he tries to establish a cabinet, because he has already devoted 48 hours lately talking to political groups that might participate in his administration.

By themselves, the central groups are insufficient, and there are disagreements within the right-leaning party who have helped prop up the ruling coalition since he failed to secure enough seats in the previous vote.

So Lecornu will consider left-wing parties for future alliances.

In an attempt to court the left, Macron's team suggested the president was evaluating a pause to some aspects of his controversial retirement changes implemented recently which increased the pension age from 62 up to 64.

That fell short of what progressive chiefs desired, as they were anticipating he would appoint a prime minister from their camp. The Socialist leader of the leftist party stated “since we've not been given any guarantees, we won't give any guarantee” for the premier.

The Communist figure from the Communists commented post-consultation that the left wanted substantive shifts, and a premier from the moderate faction would not be endorsed by the French people.

Environmental party head Marine Tondelier said she was “stunned” the president had given minimal offers to the left, adding that the situation would deteriorate.