"I've tried everything, my mission is complete tonight." Sébastien Lecornu speaks live on France 2, at the end of two days of intense negotiations to try to break France's political impasse, centering on the suspension of the pension reform demanded by the left.

"The situation allows" President Emmanuel Macron "to appoint a prime minister within the next 48 hours," he explains, adding that there is an absolute majority in the National Assembly that "refuses dissolution." Speaking on the 8 p.m. news, and when asked about the possibility of his own reappointment in Matignon, he assures : "I'm not trying to get the job." The future government, "whatever it may be," must be "completely detached from presidential ambitions for 2027," Lecornu specifies.

"The situation is already difficult enough. We need a team that decides to roll up its sleeves and solve the country's problems until the 2027 presidential elections," he emphasizes. And he appeals: "Now is not the time to change president."

His sudden resignation on Monday at 2:00 PM plunged France into an unprecedented crisis. Emmanuel Macron tasked the resigning president with finding a solution to avoid having to dissolve Parliament again. He arrived at the Elysée Palace shortly after 6:00 PM to meet with the head of state, who, under pressure, is reluctant to comment at this stage.

At the heart of the Prime Minister's latest negotiations: the suspension of the highly unpopular pension reform, a emblematic measure of Emmanuel Macron's second five-year term, adopted by force in 2023. This possibility, a sine qua non wielded by the left to sustain a government, was publicly raised on Tuesday by Élisabeth Borne, a prominent figure in the Macron camp who herself championed the reform when she was Prime Minister. A suspension could be considered "if it is a prerequisite for the country's stability," she told the press.

On Wednesday morning, the prime minister expressed optimism, assuring that the prospect of a new dissolution of the National Assembly was "receding" thanks to the parties' "willingness" to reach a budget agreement before the end of the year . But his optimism was quickly dampened by Socialist leader Olivier Faure, who, at the end of a meeting with the prime minister, regretted not having received "any assurances that a suspension" of the reform would actually take place. "This story could be a hoax," he warned.

Although supportive of this suspension, the far right refuses to participate in the consultations. "It's time to end the negotiations and move on to elections," declared Jordan Bardella, president of the National Rally (RN). Visiting a livestock fair in Auvergne (central France), Marine Le Pen assured that her party "will censure all governments until they are dissolved." "The joke has gone on long enough," insisted the RN leader.

Mathilde Panot, president of the radical left (La France Insoumise) deputies, also said that her group would censure "any government that continues Macron's policies."

The presidential camp itself is divided on the issue of suspending the pension reform, between supporters of coexistence with the left and those who refuse to question Emmanuel Macron's legacy or fear a worsening of the budget deficit. This will cost "hundreds of millions (of euros) in 2026 and billions in 2027," warned Roland Lescure, the outgoing Economy Minister, as political stalemate worsens France's dire financial situation . The eurozone's second-largest economy has a debt of €3.4 trillion (115.6% of GDP), with growth affected by cautious investment.

Emmanuel Macron has made it known through his entourage that he will "take responsibility" in the event of failure, raising the threat of a new dissolution of the Assembly , which has been divided into three blocs without a clear majority (left, center-right, and far-right) since the initial dissolution decided by the head of state in June 2024. Meanwhile, a budget plan will be presented to the Council of Ministers on Monday, with Parliament's approval due by the end of the year. However, "it won't be perfect" and will need to be discussed, Lecornu warns. "It's a budget that has a lot to discuss because it was designed precisely to stimulate debate."

(Unioneonline)

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