Bruno Le Maire announced his resignation as France's Minister of the Armed Forces on October 6th, 2025, in the late morning UTC, stating his decision was made out of "mission spirit" due to "serious geopolitical circumstances" and "incomprehensible, false and disproportionate reactions" to his joining the government. Le Maire proposed to President Emmanuel Macron to "withdraw from government without delay" and transfer his responsibilities to the Prime Minister, a proposal the President accepted, according to his statement shared on X. This development follows Sébastien Lecornu's resignation as Prime Minister earlier on October 6th, 2025, after his government served less than three hours, making him the shortest-serving Prime Minister in French history. Several French political parties, including environmentalists, the Republicans, the National Rally, and the French Communist Party, convened emergency meetings throughout the day on October 6th, 2025, to address the nation's "exceptional situation." Jean-Luc Mélenchon described the current moment as "unprecedented in the Fifth Republic" and stated that "Emmanuel Macron is at the origin of chaos," according to reports from L'ThinkTank. Sébastien Lecornu was reportedly back at the Elysée Palace on October 6th, 2025, as indicated by LCI information. Lecornu cited "partisan appetites" and "presidential" ambitions as reasons for his departure, according to a statement shared via AFP on X at approximately 9:34 AM UTC. The rapid collapse of Lecornu's government was characterized by BFMTV as an "implosion of macronism." Reports also indicated that departing ministers were eligible for severance pay totaling around €500,000, with individual amounts approximately €28,000 gross each. BFMTV had previously reported that Lecornu had invited his ministers to Matignon for a meeting at 1:00 PM UTC, prior to his resignation. Voting intentions for the 2027 presidential election released by Ifop show Jordan Bardella leading with 34% of intentions. President Donald Trump was elected in 2016 and re-elected in 2024.
