Sébastien Lecornu described himself as the "weakest prime minister of the Fifth Republic." He will also go down in history as the shortest-lived. The former defense minister submitted his resignation to President Emmanuel Macron on Monday, October 6, after just 27 days as prime minister, and less than 24 hours after announcing the composition of his cabinet.
Lecornu faced a looming vote of no confidence by left-wing and far-right opposition parties, who were unconvinced by the makeup of his government, which closely resembled the outgoing cabinet of François Bayrou, and by his unwillingness to compromise on the proposed budget. Yet the harshest criticism came from the so-called "common base," the alliance of the right and center that was supposed to support him: Gabriel Attal, former PM and leader of Macron's Renaissance party, condemned "a disgraceful spectacle." Bruno Retailleau, head of the right-wing Les Républicains (LR) – even though he had been reappointed as interior minister by Lecornu – criticized the cabinet lineup, saying it "does not reflect the promised break."
With a tenure of less than a month as prime minister, Lecornu broke the record set by LR's Michel Barnier, who remained in office for just under three months at the end of 2024. Lecornu stands far behind Georges Pompidou, who served as prime minister for a record six years.
