Call for Early Presidential Elections Grows as Macron Faces Political Crisis

Sun Oct 19 2025 20:02:49 GMT+0300 (Eastern European Summer Time)

Édouard Philippe, former Prime Minister, urges Emmanuel Macron to appoint a new PM and call for early presidential elections amid a deepening political crisis in France.

With the resignation of Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu after just 26 days in office, calls are increasing for President Emmanuel Macron to appoint a new prime minister and schedule early elections to navigate the political crisis. Philippe's remarks signify waning support even among allies, highlighting Macron's dwindling authority as he struggles with legislative challenges and plummeting approval ratings.

Emmanuel Macron should name a prime minister to push through a budget and then call early presidential elections to solve France's political crisis, his first prime minister has said.

Édouard Philippe's comments come after France's third prime minister in a year, Sébastien Lecornu, resigned on Monday after his bid to form a government fell apart.

Macron has asked him to make a last-ditch plan for stability by the end of Wednesday—but support for the French president appears to be waning even among his allies.

Philippe, who was prime minister from 2017-20 and now leads the centrist Horizons party, stated he was not in favour of his immediate and abrupt resignation, but emphasized that it was up to the president to live up to his mandate.

Meanwhile, Gabriel Attal, who leads Macron's Renaissance party and briefly served as prime minister in 2024, expressed on national TV that he no longer understands the decisions made by the president of the republic. He argued for shared power with other parties and suggested it was time to explore new strategies.

The public pressure on Macron to resign has grown, primarily from political opponents across the spectrum, with recent remarks from his former allies indicating the gravity of the situation.

As he walked alone by the Seine River amid escalating turmoil surrounding his presidency, Macron's entourage hinted that he would take responsibility should Lecornu's last-ditch talks fail, though they did not clarify what this would entail.

Since losing a parliamentary majority after a snap election following a European Parliament defeat, Macron has found it increasingly difficult to enact budgetary measures amidst soaring national debt.

Lecornu's resignation followed the exit of former Prime Minister François Bayrou after he lost a confidence vote over proposed budget cuts. As Lecornu engages in discussions with political leaders, Philippe remarked on the dismay and concern this crisis has instigated among citizens, stressing the need for stability.

Philippe stressed that Macron must prioritize governance over personal ambitions: When you're head of state, you don't use the institutions, you serve them. He insisted that Macron must find a solution to the political crisis, asserting it is crucial for both the state and the presidential election to proceed smoothly.

Macron's approval ratings have significantly declined, with surveys indicating more than half of the French populace believes he should resign. Significantly, an incident involving a van bursting into flames on the street near the prime minister's residence has been interpreted as symbolic of the ongoing crisis.

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