Paris (EFE).- French President Emmanuel Macron appointed Sébastien Lecornu, 39, who served as Minister of Defense, as the new Prime Minister on Tuesday, according to the Élysée Palace.
Macron entrusted Lecornu with “the task of consulting with the political forces represented in Parliament with a view to approving a national budget and building the essential agreements for the decisions to be made in the coming months,” read the statement from the French Presidency
Lecornu’s promotion may be attributed to his closeness to Macron, who wanted to appoint him to Matignon (the official residence of the Prime Minister of France) in Dec 2024, instead of the centrist François Bayrou.
Bayrou resigned on Tuesday after losing a vote of confidence the day before.
Lecornu is the fourth prime minister Macron has appointed in less than a year, following Gabriel Attal (2024), Michel Barnier (2024), and François Bayrou (2024–2025), all of whom served for less than a year.
The last two fell after the National Assembly voted against them, due to a circumstantial agreement between Marine Le Pen’s far-right party and the left.
If the new head of government does not want to end up like his two predecessors, he will have to reach a non-aggression agreement with either Marine Le Pen’s far-right group or part of the progressives, most likely the socialists.
Amidst the social and economic uncertainty France is experiencing due to market pressure and social protests, the 2026 budget project, to be presented in October, will be the prime minister’s first test.
Lecornu will assume his new duties on Wednesday in a ceremony at Matignon with Bayrou, and will presumably present his ministerial cabinet in the coming days. EFE
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