The specter of snap elections receded – at least for now – on Wednesday, October 8. After 48 hours of intense consultations, Sébastien Lecornu told France 2's evening news: "There is an absolute majority in the Assemblée Nationale that rejects a dissolution." The outgoing prime minister insisted that a path toward compromise "is still possible," following the political earthquake triggered by his resignation on Monday.

Lecornu, who described himself as a "warrior monk," decided to publicly mark the end of his tenure before a French public deeply unsettled by the chronic political instability. Prior to his television appearance, the steadfast supporter of Emmanuel Macron met with the president at the Elysée Palace for one hour and 40 minutes. Following Lecornu's appearance on France 2, Macron's entourage told Agence France-Presse that the president had thanked Lecornu for his efforts over the previous 48 hours.

But things could have gone differently. Faced with the resurgence of "partisan appetites," Macron was, according to one of his former ministers, "impulsive, proud, and risk-taking." On Sunday evening, the day before Lecornu's resignation, he was reportedly considering dissolving the Assemblée to give the conservative Les Républicains (LR) a taste of their own medicine. Macron considers LR leader Bruno Retailleau responsible for destroying the governing coalition and bringing down Lecornu after he objected to former finance minister Bruno Le Maire being offered the defense portfolio.

You have 81.13% of this article left to read. The rest is for subscribers only.