Macron Reappoints Lecornu as French PM, Deepening Crisis
French President Emmanuel Macron has reappointed Sebastien Lecornu as Prime Minister just four days after his resignation, a move that prolongs the country's political crisis. The decision, announced by the Élysée Palace on Friday, dashes hopes for a new face to break the deadlock over an austerity budget. Lecornu, a 39-year-old Macron loyalist, accepted the role "out of duty" and pledged to secure a budget by year's end. The reappointment was met with immediate criticism. The far-right National Rally called it a "bad joke," while the hard left saw it as an insult to the French people. Lecornu's two immediate predecessors were both ousted by parliament over the same budget dispute, and his new government faces the same challenge in a deeply divided assembly.