Since the dissolution of the Assemblée Nationale in June 2024, French politics has accelerated at a dizzying pace, defying not only the laws of physics but also of logic. On Sunday, October 5, the conservative Les Républicains (LR) party shifted within four hours from a "demanding participation" in the government led by Sébastien Lecornu – with five ministries out of 18 under their control – to plunging the country into a full-blown political crisis. "The composition of the government does not reflect the promised rupture," LR president Bruno Retailleau posted at 9:22 pm on X. His statement sparked a political shockwave that led to the resignation of Lecornu on Monday morning.

Yet on Sunday evening, Retailleau had been reappointed as interior minister. How can a minister condemn the makeup of a government to which he belongs? "We're not just the right safety float for Macron's coalition," said a source close to him.

The controversy centered on the appointments of two former right-wing figures who had joined Macron's camp: Bruno Le Maire as minister of the armed forces and Eric Woerth as minister for regional planning. According to MP Jean-Didier Berger, the two men embody the "Macronism of the past."

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