French President Emmanuel Macron will announce a new prime minister in the next 48 hours, according to a statement from the Elysee Palace late Wednesday.
“The President thanks Sebastien Lecornu for the work he has done in the last 48 hours,” the President said. Macron “will name a prime minister within 48 hours.”
This comes just after outgoing interim Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu said that the country could get a new Prime Minister in the next two days.
“I told the President of the Republic that the chances of dissolution are decreasing and that I believe the situation allows the President to name a prime minister in the next 48 hours,” Lecornu told the public television channel, France 2.
What else did Lecornu say?
Lecornu – who was France’s fifth prime minister in two years – resigned on Monday, just 14 hours after forming his Cabinet.
He refused to return as Prime Minister at Macron’s insistence. “My mission ends this evening,” Lecornu said.
The outgoing prime minister said Macron’s controversial pension reform was one of the biggest hurdles in talks to form a new government.
“We need to find a way so that pension reform can be debated,” Lecornu told France 2 television.
France is in a state of political turmoil and Macron is facing calls to call snap elections or even tender his resignation after Lecornu unexpectedly announced he was stepping down.
Majority in Parliament does not want dissolution – Lecornu
Lecornu said his talks with other parties showed there was a majority in parliament and no desire for immediate elections.
“After my consultations over the last 48 hours, I am convinced that there is indeed an absolute majority in the National Assembly that rejects the new dissolution,” Lecornu said in a post on Twitter.
When announcing his resignation, Lecornu said that there was a lack of cooperation and consensus among France’s political parties, making it impossible to form a government.
On Wednesday, Lecornu said a majority of political groups, including the left-wing opposition, were willing to agree on the budget and sustainability, but only under certain conditions.
“So I can tell you that I think there is still a potential path forward,” Lecornu said.
Edited by: Wesley Rahn