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President Emmanuel Macron has requested Sébastien Lecornu to return as head of government only four days after he left the post, causing a stretch of political upheaval and political turmoil.

Macron declared on Friday evening, following meeting leading factions collectively at the presidential palace, except for the leaders of the political extremes.

The decision to reinstate him came as a surprise, as he declared on television recently that he was not seeking the position and his task was complete.

It is not even certain whether he will be able to assemble a cabinet, but he will have to hit the ground running. Lecornu faces a time limit on Monday to put next year's budget before lawmakers.

Governing Obstacles and Fiscal Demands

The Élysée said the president had given him the duty of creating a administration, and those close to the president implied he had been given “carte blanche” to act.

Lecornu, who is one of Macron's closest allies, then published a long statement on social media in which he accepted “out of duty” the task given to him by the president, to do everything to provide France with a budget by the December and tackle the common issues of our fellow citizens.

Partisan conflicts over how to bring down government borrowing and cut the budget deficit have caused the fall of multiple premiers in the recent period, so his task is enormous.

The nation's debt in the past months was almost 114% of economic output (GDP) – the third highest in the eurozone – and this year's budget deficit is estimated to amount to 5.4 percent of GDP.

The premier stated that everyone must contribute the need of restoring France's public finances. With only 18 months before the end of Macron's presidency, he warned that prospective ministers would have to delay their aspirations for higher office.

Ruling Amid Division

Compounding the challenge for Lecornu is that he will face a vote of confidence in a National Assembly where the president has no majority to back him. His public standing hit a record low in the latest survey, according to a survey that put his support level on 14%.

Jordan Bardella of the right-wing group, which was excluded of the president's discussions with party leaders on Friday, commented that the prime minister's return, by a president increasingly isolated at the official residence, is a poor decision.

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

Forming Coalitions

The prime minister at least understands the obstacles ahead as he tries to form a government, because he has already spent two days this week consulting political groups that might support him.

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

So he will consider socialist factions for possible backing.

To gain leftist support, Macron's team suggested the president was evaluating a pause to portions of his divisive pension reforms implemented recently which raised the retirement age from the early sixties.

That fell short of what progressive chiefs desired, as they were anticipating he would appoint a premier from their side. The Socialist leader of the Socialists commented “since we've not been given any guarantees, we won't give any guarantee” to back the prime minister.

The Communist figure from the left-wing party said after meeting the president that the progressive camp wanted real change, and a leader from the central bloc would not be accepted by the citizens.

Greens leader Marine Tondelier said she was “stunned” Macron had offered the left almost nothing to the progressives, adding that outcomes would be negative.