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President Emmanuel Macron has requested Sébastien Lecornu to come back as French prime minister just days after he stepped down, causing a week of high drama and instability.

The president made the announcement late on Friday, following consulting with key political groups collectively at the presidential palace, except for the representatives of the far right and far left.

His reappointment came as a surprise, as he said on national TV just 48 hours prior that he was not seeking the position and his task was complete.

Doubts remain whether he will be able to assemble a cabinet, but he will have to act quickly. He faces a cut-off on Monday to present the annual budget before parliament.

Leadership Hurdles and Fiscal Demands

The Élysée confirmed the president had assigned him to build a cabinet, and his advisors implied he had been given “carte blanche” to act.

The prime minister, who is one of Macron's closest allies, then issued a comprehensive announcement on an online platform in which he agreed to take on as an obligation the task assigned by the president, to make every effort to secure a national budget by the end of the year and respond to the daily concerns of our fellow citizens.

Political divisions over how to reduce France's national debt and balance the books have led to the resignation of several leaders in the recent period, so his challenge is enormous.

France's public debt recently was close to 114% of economic output (GDP) – the third highest in the eurozone – and the annual fiscal gap is estimated to reach over five percent of GDP.

The premier stated that everyone must contribute the need of repairing France's public finances. In just a year and a half before the completion of his mandate, he advised that anyone joining his government would have to put on hold their aspirations for higher office.

Leading Without Support

Adding to the difficulty for Lecornu is that he will face a parliamentary test in a parliament where Macron has no majority to support him. Macron's approval plummeted this week, according to research that put his support level on 14 percent.

The far-right leader of the National Rally party, which was not invited of consultations with political chiefs on Friday, commented that Lecornu's reappointment, by a president “more than ever isolated and disconnected” at the official residence, is a “bad joke”.

They would immediately bring a challenge against a doomed coalition, whose sole purpose was dreading polls, the leader stated.

Seeking Support

The prime minister at least is aware of the challenges he faces as he tries to build a coalition, because he has already used time this week meeting with political groups that might support him.

On their own, the central groups cannot form a government, and there are splits within the conservative Republicans who have helped prop up the administration since he failed to secure enough seats in elections last year.

So he will consider progressive groups for possible backing.

To gain leftist support, Macron's team indicated the president was considering a delay to some aspects of his divisive retirement changes enacted last year which increased the pension age from 62 up to 64.

It was insufficient of what progressive chiefs hoped for, as they were expecting he would choose a prime minister from the left. The Socialist leader of the leftist party stated “since we've not been given any guarantees, we won't give any guarantee” for the premier.

Fabien Roussel from the Communists stated following discussions that the progressive camp wanted genuine reform, and a prime minister from the president's centrist camp would not be supported by the public.

Greens leader the Green figure expressed shock Macron had given minimal offers to the left, adding that “all of this is going to turn out very badly”.