Censorship, government, budget… What awaits the Lecornu government 2

France has a new prime minister: the former prime minister. At the end of a tragicomic week that saw the resignation of Sébastien Lecornu and his government, the President of the Republic announced his appointment to Matignon this Friday. As a good "soldier monk," as he describes himself, this loyal follower of the head of state accepted, "out of duty," he declared. On Wednesday, however, he assured that he had "completed (his) mission" following a 48-hour cycle of discussions with the various political forces outside the RN and LFI. No matter, he's back. And the coming days will be very difficult for him to face, as they will be fraught with pitfalls.

First, Sébastien Lecornu will have the difficult task of forming his second government in a hurry. Indeed, the latter is pressed by the timetable for the 2026 Finance Bill (PLF), which must be presented to the Council of Ministers by Monday at the latest, to reach the National Assembly two days later and thus be discussed for publication in the Official Journal before December 31.

According to his statements, this team will be a "mission government" and it will therefore have to be "disconnected from the presidential ambitions for 2027", according to him responsible for his previous fall. We should therefore not find Gérald Darmanin, one of his very close friends, Minister of Justice who resigned, nor Bruno Retailleau, at the Interior, although the latter has distanced himself from himself. Above all, this government "will have to embody the renewal and diversity of skills" , promises Sébastien Lecornu, anxious not to repeat the "lack of originality" of his previous team, according to his own observation, a third of which already belonged to that of François Bayrou, his predecessor.

One question remains: which political forces will be part of it? On the "common base" side, renamed the "stability platform," the Modem and Renaissance do not intend to give up their positions, although they are requesting "clarifications" on the political line. Horizons, Edouard Philippe's party, is considering support without participation. While "Les Républicains" are torn apart over this issue. While Bruno Retailleau is advocating for the government to leave, after having defended the opposite last week, his deputies voted overwhelmingly this Friday evening in favor of participation (38 for, 3 against). However, Annie Genevard (agriculture), Philippe Tabarot (transport), and Yannick Neuder (health) could still remain in office regardless of the direction given by the party president.

In any case, Sébastien Lecornu is expected to quickly turn to the National Assembly to deliver his general policy statement this Monday or Tuesday. Although he will certainly not seek a vote of confidence from parliamentarians, his days at Matignon are nonetheless numbered.

"We are proposing that the parliamentarians on the left of the hemicycle sign an immediate motion of censure and a new motion to impeach the President of the Republic," announced the rebellious group in the National Assembly on Friday evening. "Without a break, it will therefore be censure: back to the polls!" , announced Fabien Roussel, national secretary of the PCF. "If we are not heard, we will censure without any hesitation," communicated Olivier Faure, first secretary of the Socialist Party, deploring in particular any refusal to suspend the pension reform. Finally, Marine Tondelier, national secretary of the Ecologists, declared that she saw for the moment "no argument for not censuring."

Barring any surprises, the far right is also expected to vote in favor of censuring Sébastien Lecornu and his government. The president of the National Rally, Jordan Bardella, declared that his party "will of course immediately censure this team without any future," seeing it as "a bad joke, a democratic shame and a humiliation for the French people."

If the entire New Popular Front (NFP) and the far right as a whole (RN and UDR) vote to bring down the government, representing 331 deputies, Sébastien Lecornu would once again be forced to step down. And the President of the Republic, more exposed and alone than ever, trapped, will have no choice but to consider two other options: dissolve the Assembly or resign.