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President Emmanuel Macron has asked Sébastien Lecornu to return as head of government a mere four days after he left the post, triggering a stretch of high drama and crisis.

The president declared late on Friday, shortly after gathering all the main parties collectively at the presidential palace, omitting the representatives of the extremist parties.

Lecornu's return came as a surprise, as he declared on broadcast recently that he was not seeking the position and his role had concluded.

It is not even certain whether he will be able to establish a ruling coalition, but he will have to act quickly. He faces a cut-off on the start of the week to present the annual budget before the National Assembly.

Political Challenges and Economic Pressures

Officials confirmed the president had “tasked [Lecornu] with forming a government”, and those close to the president implied he had been given “carte blanche” to act.

Lecornu, who is one of the president's key supporters, then issued a detailed message on social media in which he accepted “out of duty” the task entrusted to me by the president, to make every effort to secure a national budget by the December and tackle the common issues of our fellow citizens.

Political divisions over how to lower the country's public debt and reduce the fiscal shortfall have caused the fall of two of the past three prime ministers in the past twelve months, so his mission is daunting.

The nation's debt in the past months was nearly 114 percent of economic output (GDP) – the third largest in the euro area – and current shortfall is expected to hit over five percent of economic output.

The premier said that everyone must contribute the imperative of restoring France's public finances. Given the limited time before the completion of his mandate, he advised that those in the cabinet would have to set aside their aspirations for higher office.

Ruling Amid Division

Adding to the difficulty for Lecornu is that he will face a vote of confidence in a legislative body where Macron has lacks sufficient support to back him. His public standing reached its lowest point recently, according to research that put his public backing on 14%.

Jordan Bardella of the National Rally party, which was left out of Macron's talks with political chiefs on Friday, commented that the prime minister's return, by a president “more than ever isolated and disconnected” at the presidential palace, is a misstep.

They would promptly introduce a vote of no confidence against a struggling administration, whose sole purpose was fear of an election, he continued.

Building Alliances

The prime minister at least understands the obstacles ahead as he tries to establish a cabinet, because he has already spent two days this week consulting parties that might join his government.

By themselves, the central groups are insufficient, and there are splits within the traditionalists who have helped prop up Macron's governments since he lost his majority in recent polls.

So Lecornu will seek progressive groups for possible backing.

As a gesture to progressives, Macron's team indicated the president was evaluating a pause to some aspects of his divisive pension reforms enacted last year which extended working life from 62 up to 64.

That fell short of what socialist figures desired, as they were hoping he would appoint a premier from their camp. Olivier Faure of the leftist party said without assurances, they would offer no support in a vote of confidence.

Fabien Roussel from the left-wing party commented post-consultation that the left wanted substantive shifts, and a prime minister from the moderate faction would not be endorsed by the public.

Environmental party head Marine Tondelier said she was “stunned” Macron had offered the left almost nothing to the progressives, adding that “all of this is going to turn out very badly”.