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President Emmanuel Macron has called upon Sébastien Lecornu to come back as head of government just days after he left the post, sparking a period of political upheaval and crisis.

The president made the announcement on Friday evening, shortly after gathering all the main parties in one place at the official residence, except for the representatives of the far right and far left.

Lecornu's return was unexpected, as he declared on broadcast only two days ago that he was not seeking the position and his task was complete.

Doubts remain whether he will be able to assemble a cabinet, but he will have to start immediately. He faces a time limit on Monday to submit financial plans before lawmakers.

Governing Obstacles and Budgetary Strains

The presidency confirmed the president had given him the duty of creating a administration, and his advisors implied he had been given full authority to make decisions.

The prime minister, who is one of the president's key supporters, then released a detailed message on X in which he consented to responsibly the task given to him by the president, to make every effort to provide France with a budget by the end of the year and respond to the common issues of our countrymen.

Ideological disagreements over how to bring down the country's public debt and balance the books have led to the resignation of several leaders in the past twelve months, so his mission is daunting.

Government liabilities in the past months was nearly 114 percent of economic output (GDP) – the number three in the currency union – and this year's budget deficit is projected to reach 5.4 percent of GDP.

The premier emphasized that everyone must contribute the imperative of repairing France's public finances. With only 18 months before the completion of his mandate, he warned that prospective ministers would have to put on hold their presidential ambitions.

Leading Without Support

Adding to the difficulty for Lecornu is that he will face a vote of confidence in a National Assembly where the president has lacks sufficient support to endorse his government. The president's popularity plummeted recently, according to a survey that put his support level on 14 percent.

The far-right leader of the far-right National Rally, which was left out of the president's discussions with faction heads on Friday, remarked that the prime minister's return, by a president increasingly isolated at the official residence, is a poor decision.

The National Rally would immediately bring a challenge against a failing government, whose sole purpose was dreading polls, he continued.

Seeking Support

The prime minister at least knows the pitfalls he faces as he tries to establish a cabinet, because he has already used time lately consulting political groups that might join his government.

On their own, the centrist parties cannot form a government, and there are disagreements within the conservative Republicans who have assisted the ruling coalition since he lacked support in recent polls.

So he will seek socialist factions for future alliances.

As a gesture to progressives, officials hinted the president was considering a delay to some aspects of his highly contentious pension reforms implemented recently which increased the pension age from 62 up to 64.

It was insufficient of what progressive chiefs hoped for, as they were anticipating he would choose a prime minister from their camp. The Socialist leader of the Socialists stated “since we've not been given any guarantees, we won't give any guarantee” for the premier.

The Communist figure from the left-wing party commented post-consultation that the left wanted substantive shifts, and a premier from the central bloc would not be endorsed by the public.

Greens leader Marine Tondelier said she was “stunned” the president had offered the left almost nothing to the progressives, adding that outcomes would be negative.