Newly appointed Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu took the reins of France’s legislature this month after his predecessor’s political self-immolation amid seemingly insurmountable divisions among three factions.

Former Prime Minister François Bayrou instigated his own confidence vote this month in a desperate bid to rally support for his unpopular budget proposals, claiming that France was on the precipice of financial disaster if significant reforms were not made. He lost his office in a vote that surprised no one and became the third ousted prime minister within one year.