French President Emmanuel Macron on September 9 appointed Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu as prime minister.
Reuters reported that President Macron had already chosen a successor to former French Prime Minister Francois Bayrou, after Bayrou was ousted in a confidence vote and submitted his resignation on September 9.
The French President’s office said that Mr. Macron had asked Mr. Lecornu to talk to political parties in parliament to pass the national budget bill, which is currently deadlocked.
Writing on social network X, Mr. Lecornu said that President Macron had assigned the task of building a government with a clear orientation, which is to protect the independence and strength of the country, serve the French people, and ensure political and institutional stability.
“I want to thank him (Macron) for the trust he has shown in me by appointing me prime minister,” Lecornu wrote.
With the latest developments, Lecornu, 39, will become France’s fifth prime minister in less than two years. The formal handover of power to the new prime minister will take place today, September 10.
The Elysee Palace owner usually spends a lot of time considering the next prime minister. However, this appointment was rushed on September 9 due to the risk of political and financial instability, according to AFP.
The Elysee Palace said that President Macron is confident that Lecornu’s government will reach an agreement between political factions, while still respecting each side’s position.
Sebastien Lecornu is considered a right-winger. His appointment has been criticised by left-wing parties, who have called for protests on 10 September.
The far-left France Unbowed party said it would file a motion of no confidence in Lecornu, but the far-right National Front (RN) said it would work with the new prime minister on the budget.
Lecornu’s immediate priority will be to forge a consensus on the 2026 budget bill, a task that Bayrou has failed to achieve. Bayrou has pushed for deep spending cuts to rein in the budget deficit, which is already double the EU’s limit of 3% of gross domestic product (GDP).