Macron’s Diminishing Returns: Each New PM Is Weaker Than the Last

President Emmanuel Macron is experiencing a harsh lesson in the law of diminishing returns, as each new Prime Minister he appoints proves to be weaker and less effective than the last. The spectacularly short tenure of Sebastien Lecornu is the starkest proof of this declining political investment.
The first Prime Ministers of Macron’s presidency were able to govern with some degree of authority. However, as the President’s own political capital has declined, so has the power he is able to bestow upon his appointees. He is investing the same presidential authority but getting a progressively smaller return.
Francois Bayrou and Michel Barnier were the first to show this trend, being forced out by parliament. Their tenures were difficult, but they at least lasted for a time. They represented a diminished, but still present, return on Macron’s political investment.
Sebastien Lecornu represents a near-zero return. The President invested his authority in appointing him, and the return was a government that lasted less than a day. The political capital was spent, but it produced nothing. This is a sign of a failing political enterprise.
This trend of diminishing returns is unsustainable. At this rate, the next Prime Minister appointed by Macron may have a tenure measured in minutes, not hours. The President is running out of political currency, and his investments are no longer yielding any results, a dangerous situation for a leader tasked with running a G7 economy.