The political axis between President Emmanuel Macron and his new Prime Minister, Sebastien Lecornu, has failed its very first test, resulting in the government’s spectacular collapse. The botched cabinet rollout and subsequent resignation have shattered the hope that this new leadership duo could navigate France out of its current turmoil.
The appointment of Lecornu, a close and loyal ally, was meant to create a seamless partnership at the top of the French state. This Macron-Lecornu axis was supposed to be more effective than previous arrangements, capable of pushing through a coherent agenda. Their first major joint decision was the composition of the new cabinet.
However, this inaugural test ended in disaster. Their collective decision to stick with a familiar team was a grave political misjudgment that underestimated the opposition’s ferocity. The backlash was not just against Lecornu, but against the new axis of power he represented. It was seen as more of the same, just with a new face at the Prime Minister’s residence.
The swift resignation of Lecornu represents a total failure of this new partnership. It crumbled at the first sign of pressure, unable to withstand the political storm it had helped to create. The government they built together was so fragile that it fell apart in a matter of hours.
This failure leaves President Macron back at square one, his strategy in ruins. The idea that a loyalist Prime Minister could solve his political problems has been disproven in the most dramatic fashion. The Macron-Lecornu axis is now a historical footnote, a symbol of a failed attempt to regain control of an increasingly chaotic political situation.
