The government of Sebastien Lecornu was not brought down by a specific policy or scandal, but by the swift and total loss of a more fundamental quality: legitimacy. The entire episode was a powerful lesson in how, without perceived legitimacy, a government cannot survive, even for a day.
The problem began with the cabinet announcement. By presenting a team that was “largely unchanged,” the administration failed its very first test of legitimacy. In a country demanding a new approach to its deep-seated problems, this continuity was interpreted as a sign that the government was not a legitimate agent of change.
The opposition, led by figures like Socialist leader Olivier Faure, masterfully weaponized this concept. Faure’s declaration that the government had “no legitimacy left” was not just rhetoric; it was a political kill shot. It framed the debate not around political differences, but around the fundamental right of the government to hold power.
Once the narrative of illegitimacy took hold, the government’s fate was sealed. No minister, including the Prime Minister, could operate with authority. Every decision would be questioned, every action undermined. The government was rendered powerless by the perception that it had no valid claim to its role.
Lecornu’s resignation was therefore a tacit admission that this battle for legitimacy had been lost. He stepped down because he understood that a government without legitimacy is merely a collection of titles and offices with no real power. The core challenge for President Macron now is to appoint a government that can, first and foremost, establish its own legitimacy in the eyes of the parliament and the public.