Political balancing act in France

France is experiencing a political state of emergency: within just a few days, Sébastien Lecornu was appointed Prime Minister, presented a cabinet, resigned – and was finally reappointed to form a government. Amid mass protests, internal party resistance and a deeply divided parliament, this political balancing act seems like an attempt to patch up a structural crisis with temporary solutions. What was intended to be an orderly transition following François Bayrou's resignation quickly became a symbol of the growing instability under President Emmanuel Macron. The new prime minister is now supposed to build bridges, secure budgetary majorities and calm the country – but instead, it is becoming clear how fragile the political foundations of the Fifth Republic have become. Lecornu II is less a new beginning than a tactical manoeuvre: a temporary government without solid backing.