A Government’s Lifespan Measured in Hours

The lifespan of France’s latest government can be measured in hours, not days or years. The shocking resignation of Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu after a disastrous cabinet announcement has set a new, alarming benchmark for political instability in a major European nation.
The government was officially born on Sunday with the unveiling of its ministers. It was the result of weeks of political labor by Lecornu, who had been appointed by President Macron to bring stability. However, from the moment of its birth, the government was critically ill, rejected by the political body it was meant to lead.
The fatal diagnosis was a lack of legitimacy. The cabinet was deemed “largely unchanged,” a congenital defect that made it unacceptable to a hostile parliament. Opposition parties immediately declared it unviable, effectively signing its death certificate within moments of its announcement.
By Monday, the fledgling government had expired. Before a single policy could be debated or a ministerial meeting held, the Prime Minister resigned. This brutally short existence highlights the extreme fragility of the political situation and the impossibility of the task facing any leader appointed by the current President.
This fleeting government leaves behind a legacy of chaos. It demonstrates the depth of the political crisis gripping France, where institutional norms are breaking down. As the country struggles with a mountain of debt, its political system seems capable only of producing governments with a lifespan so short they barely register as having existed at all.