

President Emmanuel Macron took a long, solitary walk through Paris late Monday morning, October 6. He found himself at the square on the Ile de la Cité, where, in 1314, Jacques de Molay, the last grand master of the Knights Templar, was burned at the stake. With his phone pressed to his ear, the president did not linger before the bronze plaque honoring the Templar, who, as he perished, pronounced a curse against King Philippe IV of France and his descendants "to the 13th generation."
While he is no cursed king, Macron is certainly experiencing a difficult end to his reign. The surprise resignation on Monday morning of his loyal ally Sébastien Lecornu – just 14 hours after forming his government – has deepened the political crisis sparked by Macron's decision to dissolve the Assemblée Nationale in 2024.
After a day filled with twists and, at times, bordering on farce, the Elysée announced that the president had tasked the outgoing prime minister with "the responsibility of leading, by Wednesday evening, final negotiations to define a platform of action and stability for the country."
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