Outgoing French PM expects Macron to name replacement in 48 hours

PARIS (AP) — The outgoing French prime minister said Wednesday that he expects President Emmanuel Macron to name his replacement in the next 48 hours.

Sébastien Lecornu didn’t say who might replace him, but he appeared to rule himself out of coming back to the job, saying: “My mission is finished.”

But Lecornu’s eagerly awaited interview with broadcaster France Télévisions otherwise left more questions than it answered about how Macron intends to dig France out of its protracted political crisis.

Lecornu resigned abruptly on Monday, just 14 hours after naming his Cabinet. Macron then asked him to keep pursuing efforts to build support among lawmakers for France’s budget for 2026, a national priority.

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Two more days of Lecornu-led talks with political parties — other than Macron’s fiercest opponents on the far left and far right that refused talks — failed to provide clarity on what Macron’s next steps will be. But Lecornu said that his consensus-building effort had made progress.

“I feel that a path is still possible. It is difficult,” he said. “I think that the situation allows the president to name a prime minister in the next 48 hours.”