Macron may dissolve French parliament amid political turmoil

France’s Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu resigned, putting President Emmanuel Macron in a difficult position and likely forcing him to dissolve Parliament — a move that could potentially strengthen far-right forces, The New York Times reports.

According to the newspaper, France is no longer merely in a political crisis but a constitutional one. For decades, the Fifth Republic has functioned with either a clear parliamentary majority supporting the president or a majority opposing the head of state. Today, however, the National Assembly is divided among three nearly equal groups, i.e. far-right nationalist supporters of Le Pen, left and far-left factions, prominently represented by Jean-Luc Mélenchon’s La France Insoumise and pro-government centrist factions, whose loyalty to Macron is reportedly waning.

This division has contributed to chaos, with France experiencing five governments in 21 months.

Prime Minister Lecornu resigned on Oct. 6, just hours after presenting his new Cabinet, failing to resolve the ongoing political crisis.

Lecornu had been appointed less than a month earlier, but his almost unchanged Cabinet announced on Oct. 5 faced sharp criticism from political forces.