Time may be running out for master of the clock Macron: what’s next for France?

After eight years in office, Emmanuel Macron’s position as president is under increasing pressure as the political crisis in France escalates.

Macron once called himself a… master of watches – Master of the Clock – but his control over timing is no longer what it used to be. For the third time in a year, his choice for prime minister has resigned, and opinion polls suggest that nearly three-quarters of voters believe the president should step down as well.

His old ally Edouard Philippe, who served as Macron’s first prime minister from 2017 to 2020, urged him to appoint a technocrat prime minister and call presidential elections “in an orderly manner.”

But Macron is more likely to dissolve parliament than step down.

Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu announced his resignation at the start of a day of political drama on Monday, after just 26 days in office.

Hours later, he said he had accepted Macron’s request to remain in office for another 48 hours to hold final talks with political parties “for the stability of the country.”

These unexpected twists were the latest in a long line of unrest that began with Emmanuel Macron’s decision to call early parliamentary elections in June 2024. The result was a hung parliament in which Macron’s centrist partners lost their majority and were forced to seek alliances with other parties.

The leader of one of those parties, Bruno Ritello of the conservative Republican Party, withdrew from the Lecorno government 14 hours after its announcement.

The big challenge facing Lecornu and his predecessors is how to address France’s crippling national debt and overcome ideological divisions between centrist parties that could be part of the government.

Earlier this year, public debt reached 3,345 billion euros, or nearly 114% of economic output, the third highest level in the eurozone after Greece and Italy. The French budget deficit this year is expected to reach 5.4% of GDP.

Michel Barnier and François Bayrou lasted just three and nine months respectively before being ousted in a vote of confidence as they tried to tackle deficits through austerity budgets.

LeCorno didn’t even go so far as to present a budget plan. Criticism poured in from all sides as soon as he presented his government on Sunday afternoon, and by Monday morning he had decided his position was untenable.

He blamed his departure on the unwavering stance of the parties, which he said “all act as if they have a majority.”

All parties are looking forward to the next presidential elections in 2027, and are also preparing for the possibility of early parliamentary elections if Macron dissolves parliament again.

The leaders who have been calling on Macron to resign for months belong to the extreme right and the radical left.

Marine Le Pen and her young deputy in the far-right National Rally party, Jordan Bardella, are ready for elections and have declined Lecornu’s invitation to speak.

Jean-Luc Mélenchon, of the radical left France Unbend party, has been calling for Macron’s removal, although this seems unlikely. It has the support of the Greens.

The centre-left Socialists, led by Olivier Faure, were allied with the radical left during the last elections, but were talking to Lecornu on the condition that he form a left-wing government.

Then there is Gabriel Attal, who leads Macron’s centrist Ennahda party, but said he no longer understands the president’s decisions.

To the right of center is Bruno Ritello, whose Republicans were part of the so-called socle commun (common platform) with the centrists.

Lecornu has held in-depth discussions with party representatives and has until Wednesday evening to offer Macron a “platform of action and stability.”

There are four options – and none of them look good.

• If Lecornu can persuade the centrist parties to form a government, Macron will be able to name a new prime minister, whoever he may be. LeCorneau has indicated that he does not wish to take the position, although this is not a final rejection. The omens are not great. When he resigned on Monday, LeCorneau said: “I was ready to reach a compromise, but all sides wanted the other side to adopt their programs in their entirety.” But France needs to pass some kind of 2026 budget to address its national debt, and the factions know this.
• If Lecornu fails, the Elysee indicated that Macron “will bear responsibility.” This would likely mean new parliamentary elections, which would herald bad news for his centrist and socialist allies, but would benefit Marine Le Pen’s far-right National Rally party in particular. Elections must be held a maximum of 40 days after Parliament is dissolved, which means a vote in November.
• Macron’s presidency ends in 18 months, but he faces increasing calls to step down. He has repeatedly refused to hold early presidential elections, but it is not unlikely. Macron’s former minister Benjamin Haddad says his resignation will have no meaning because the next president will face the same problem: “Political division is here to stay.”
• Even without a government agreement, parties can put aside their differences in parliament and reach a compromise on a limited budget. But French politics is not known for its culture of compromise.

After his third prime minister of the past year announced his resignation on Monday, Macron went for a long walk along the Seine, his mobile phone to his ear.

A trick for the cameras? Perhaps, but it was emblematic of the solitary nature of his position, as he faces some of the toughest choices of his presidency, and some of his former allies appear to be deserting him.

But the president will be aware of the political challenges ahead for some time, and he is not one to give up without a fight. Or another attempt to stabilize an increasingly ungovernable France. There is a feeling that time may be running out for the watch master.