Macron’s Presidency Faces “Regime Crisis” Amid Political Chaos in France
Emmanuel Macron is being accused of ruling like a monarch while relying on a parliament he can no longer control, as France’s political system teeters on the edge of paralysis.
After a week of dramatic twists, the French president stunned observers by reappointing Sébastien Lecornu as Prime Minister, just days after his first government collapsed in record time. Lecornu now faces the near-impossible task of passing an austerity budget through a deeply divided National Assembly.
Veteran political analyst Alain Duhamel said France has «gone beyond a political crisis» and is now facing a regime crisis.
«We have a president who behaves like a monarch but depends on a parliament he does not control,» he told French media, warning that the two halves of government are pulling «in opposite directions.»
Macron’s centrist bloc lost its absolute majority in 2022, leaving the country trapped between three rival forces: the left-wing alliance, Macron’s liberal centrists, and Marine Le Pen’s far-right National Rally. None can command a stable majority.
Opposition leaders have called Lecornu’s reappointment a «bad joke,» while economists warn that failure to pass a budget could undermine France’s credibility in Brussels and on financial markets.
As discontent grows, analysts fear a deeper breakdown of the Fifth Republic, the political system founded by Charles de Gaulle in 1958 to end chronic instability. Some warn that Macron’s increasingly autocratic style risks fueling support for Le Pen’s far-right movement, which polls suggest could win big if new elections are called.
«The French are no longer just dissatisfied—they are furious,» said Duhamel. «If Macron dissolves parliament, the winner will be the National Rally. And that could mark the end of the Fifth Republic.»
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