France’s newly re-appointed prime minister acknowledged Saturday that few candidates were willing to take the job and warned he may not remain in office long, as the country grapples with deep political divisions and mounting economic challenges.
Sebastien Lecornu, renamed by President Emmanuel Macron late Friday after a week of political chaos, called for calm and for the support of political parties to produce a budget for the European Union's No. 2 economy before looming deadlines.
His appointment is seen as Macron's last chance to reinvigorate his second term, which runs until 2027. His centrist camp lacks a majority in the National Assembly and he is facing increasing criticism even within its ranks.
But rivals from far right to far left slammed Macron's decision to rename Lecornu, France's fourth prime minister in barely a year. France is struggling with mounting economic challenges and ballooning debt, and the political crisis is aggravating its troubles and raising alarm across the European Union.
"I don't think there were a lot of candidates," Lecornu told reporters Saturday during a visit to a police station in the Paris suburb of L'Hay-les-Roses.
