French President Macron reappoints Lecornu as prime minister

French President Emmanuel Macron has surprisingly reappointed Sébastien Lecornu as the country's prime minister, days after he resigned, the Élysée Palace announced on Friday evening.

Lecornu, a close ally of Macron, took office as prime minister just four weeks ago but resigned earlier this week amid government tensions. Macron then gave him two days to find a way out of the political turmoil.

After talks with party leaders, Lecornu said he was convinced that France could resolve its political crisis without holding new parliamentary elections.

He noted that a "very relative majority" - made up of several political groups, including parts of the left-wing opposition - was willing to agree on a budget and ensure stability.

Macron has been under huge time pressure, because if highly indebted France wants to get a budget for the coming year in place in time, according to the constitution it must be submitted to parliament by Monday at the latest, and by a prime minister.

France has been mired in political deadlock since a snap election in mid-2024, which left no camp with a majority. Macron unexpectedly called the election soon after his party performed poorly in European elections, losing many seats to the far right.