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President Emmanuel Macron has asked Sébastien Lecornu to return as the nation's premier only four days after he left the post, causing a period of intense uncertainty and political turmoil.

Macron made the announcement late on Friday, following gathering leading factions in one place at the Élysée Palace, excluding the representatives of the extremist parties.

The decision to reinstate him shocked many, as he declared on broadcast just 48 hours prior that he was not interested in returning and his role had concluded.

It is not even certain whether he will be able to form a government, but he will have to start immediately. The new prime minister faces a cut-off on Monday to put next year's budget before lawmakers.

Leadership Hurdles and Economic Pressures

The presidency said the president had given him the duty of creating a administration, and those close to the president suggested he had been given full authority to proceed.

Lecornu, who is one of Macron's closest allies, then issued a long statement on social media in which he agreed to take on as an obligation the assignment assigned by the president, to make every effort to provide France with a budget by the end of the year and tackle the everyday problems of our compatriots.

Ideological disagreements over how to reduce government borrowing and cut the budget deficit have caused the fall of two of the past three prime ministers in the recent period, so his mission is daunting.

France's public debt recently was almost 114% of economic output (GDP) – the third largest in the currency union – and this year's budget deficit is expected to reach 5.4 percent of economic output.

Lecornu emphasized that no one can avoid the imperative of fixing France's public finances. With only 18 months before the end of Macron's presidency, he cautioned that those in the cabinet would have to put on hold their presidential ambitions.

Governing Without a Majority

Compounding the challenge for Lecornu is that he will face a show of support in a National Assembly where Macron has lacks sufficient support to support him. Macron's approval hit a record low recently, according to a survey that put his support level on just 14%.

The far-right leader of the far-right National Rally, which was not invited of consultations with party leaders on Friday, said that the prime minister's return, by a president “more than ever isolated and disconnected” at the Élysée, is a poor decision.

They would promptly introduce a vote of no confidence against a struggling administration, whose only reason for being was dreading polls, he continued.

Seeking Support

The prime minister at least understands the obstacles in his path as he tries to form a government, because he has already devoted 48 hours this week consulting political groups that might support him.

Alone, the centrist parties lack a majority, and there are splits within the traditionalists who have supported Macron's governments since he failed to secure enough seats in the previous vote.

So he will consider left-wing parties for future alliances.

To gain leftist support, officials suggested the president was thinking of postponing to portions of his divisive pension reforms enacted last year which extended working life from 62 to 64.

That fell short of what progressive chiefs desired, as they were expecting he would choose a premier from the left. The Socialist leader of the leftist party said without assurances, they would offer no support in a vote of confidence.

The Communist figure from the Communists said after meeting the president that the left wanted real change, and a prime minister from the president's centrist camp would not be accepted by the public.

Environmental party head Marine Tondelier remarked she was surprised Macron had given minimal offers to the left, adding that the situation would deteriorate.