Procedural Politics vs. Political Reality

The downfall of Sebastien Lecornu highlights a dramatic clash between procedural politics and political reality in France. While the government’s formation followed all the correct procedures, it was instantly annihilated by the harsh reality of its own illegitimacy.
Procedurally, everything was done by the book. The President of the Republic, Emmanuel Macron, used his constitutional authority to appoint a Prime Minister. The Prime Minister, Sebastien Lecornu, engaged in weeks of consultations and then formally appointed a cabinet of ministers. On paper, a legitimate government was born.
However, political reality operates on a different set of rules. In the real world, a government’s legitimacy is not granted by procedure, but earned through political support and public consent. Lecornu’s government had neither. The reality was that it was politically dead on arrival.
The clash came to a head in the hours after the announcement. The procedural fact of the government’s existence was challenged by the political reality of its universal rejection. In this battle, reality won a swift and decisive victory.
Lecornu’s resignation was the moment procedure officially surrendered to reality. It was an admission that a government that exists only on paper is no government at all. This episode is a stark reminder that the formalities of politics are meaningless if they are not grounded in the messy, unforgiving reality of power and support.