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The French leader has called upon his former prime minister to resume duties as head of government just days after he left the post, sparking a period of intense uncertainty and instability.

The president declared late on Friday, shortly after gathering leading factions together at the official residence, except for the representatives of the far right and far left.

His reappointment came as a surprise, as he said on national TV only two days ago that he was not interested in returning and his role had concluded.

Doubts remain whether he will be able to assemble a cabinet, but he will have to act quickly. The new prime minister faces a time limit on Monday to submit financial plans before lawmakers.

Leadership Hurdles and Budgetary Strains

The presidency announced the president had “tasked [Lecornu] with forming a government”, and those close to the president suggested he had been given complete freedom to make decisions.

Lecornu, who is one of Macron's closest allies, then released a long statement on an online platform in which he agreed to take on “out of duty” the mission entrusted to me by the president, to strive to secure a national budget by the end of the year and tackle the everyday problems of our fellow citizens.

Partisan conflicts over how to bring down government borrowing and balance the books have resulted in the fall of two of the past three prime ministers in the last year, so his task is immense.

Government liabilities in the past months was almost 114% of economic output (GDP) – the third highest in the eurozone – and current shortfall is projected to amount to over five percent of economic output.

Lecornu emphasized that “no-one will be able to shirk” the need of fixing government accounts. Given the limited time before the completion of his mandate, he advised that prospective ministers would have to put on hold their aspirations for higher office.

Governing Without a Majority

What makes it even harder for the prime minister is that he will face a show of support in a National Assembly where Macron has no majority to endorse his government. The president's popularity hit a record low recently, according to research that put his public backing on 14 percent.

The far-right leader of the right-wing group, which was left out of Macron's talks with political chiefs on Friday, remarked that Lecornu's reappointment, by a president increasingly isolated at the presidential palace, is a poor decision.

His party would promptly introduce a vote of no confidence against a failing government, whose main motivation was dreading polls, the leader stated.

Seeking Support

The prime minister at least is aware of the challenges in his path as he tries to form a government, because he has already devoted 48 hours lately talking to factions that might participate in his administration.

Alone, the centrist parties lack a majority, and there are splits within the right-leaning party who have helped prop up the administration since he failed to secure enough seats in the previous vote.

So Lecornu will look to left-wing parties for future alliances.

In an attempt to court the left, the president's advisors suggested the president was evaluating a pause to portions of his highly contentious social security adjustments enacted last year which extended working life from the early sixties.

The offer was inadequate of what left-wing leaders desired, as they were expecting he would select a prime minister from their camp. The Socialist leader of the Socialists commented lacking commitments, they would withhold backing for the premier.

Fabien Roussel from the Communists said after meeting the president that the progressive camp wanted substantive shifts, and a leader from the central bloc would not be accepted by the French people.

Greens leader Marine Tondelier remarked she was surprised Macron had given minimal offers to the progressives, adding that outcomes would be negative.