By Joseph Ataman, CNN
Sebastien Lecornu. Photo: MATHILDE KACZKOWSKI/AFP
French President Emmanuel Macron has reappointed Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu to his post, despite accepting his resignation Monday following the collapse of his overnight government.
"The president of the republic has named Mr Sébastien Lecornu prime minister and has charged him with forming a government," the Élysée Palace said in a statement Friday.
It was a surprise choice, rounding off a rollercoaster week in French politics.
Late Sunday, Lecornu announced his cabinet, before it was publicly criticized by his interior minister that same night. On Monday morning, he submitted his resignation - which was accepted - before Macron reversed course and asked him to quarterback the selection of his successor in a 48-hour blitz round of talks with political opponents.
Despite those efforts, for Macron, the solution to the domino-like collapse of recent prime ministers was apparently simple: more of the same.
The political paralysis around assembling a cabinet and passing a budget has earned France unwelcome comparisons to European countries like Italy, with reputations for political instability.
Lecornu faced broad criticism for his choice of ministers in Sunday night's cabinet. After promising a break with the past two prime ministers, amid a divided political landscape in France, he announced a ministerial selection that featured more Macron allies than in the president's very first cabinet in 2017.
Lecornu took nearly a month to name his first short-lived cabinet. Many in France will be closely following his choice of colleagues second-time round.
- CNN
