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Marrakech – Emmanuel Macron appointed Sébastien Lecornu, his trusted 39-year-old defense minister, as France’s new prime minister on Tuesday evening. The nomination comes just one day after François Bayrou’s government fell following a parliamentary vote of no confidence.
Lecornu, who has served continuously in government since June 2017, becomes Macron’s seventh prime minister and the fifth since Macron began his second term in 2022 – an unprecedented turnover in France’s Fifth Republic. The formal handover ceremony between Bayrou and Lecornu is scheduled for Wednesday at noon.
The Elysée Palace stated that Macron has charged Lecornu with “consulting the political forces represented in parliament with a view to adopting a budget for the nation and building the agreements essential for the decisions of the coming months.” The formation of a new government will follow these discussions.
Lecornu, a politician from Normandy’s Eure region, narrowly missed the prime minister position last December when Macron initially favored him, but François Bayrou ultimately forced the president’s hand to secure the appointment.
A former right-wing politician, Lecornu has become a close confidant of Macron over the years. Though they hadn’t met before Lecornu joined the cabinet in 2017 (brought in by then-Prime Minister Edouard Philippe), he gradually became indispensable, particularly during crises like the “Yellow Vests” protests.
Macron relied on him to coordinate the “grand debate” that helped defuse the major social crisis of his first term.
Macron’s choice deepened fractures across French politics
The appointment wasn’t without controversy within Macron’s own camp. Earlier Tuesday, National Assembly President Yaël Braun-Pivet had positioned herself for the role, telling RTL radio: “If by chance I had to take on this mission [of being appointed prime minister], obviously I would not shirk it.”
Opposition reactions were swift and harsh. Marine Le Pen, leader of the far-right National Rally lawmakers, was the first to respond, denouncing Macron’s choice as retreating into his inner circle.
“The president is firing the last bullet of Macronism, bunkered down with his small square of loyalists,” she posted on X, predicting that “after the inevitable future legislative elections, the Prime Minister will be Jordan Bardella.”
Left-wing reactions were equally frosty. Marine Tondelier, head of the Greens, called the nomination a “provocation” and “a total disrespect for the French,” warning that “all this will end badly.” Socialist MP Philippe Brun described the appointment as “a slap in the face for parliament.”
Meanwhile, Bruno Retailleau, leader of the Republicans and outgoing Interior Minister, expressed willingness to work with Lecornu, saying Tuesday evening: “I hope we find agreements. I believe there is the possibility of building a project that satisfies what I call the national majority.”
France faces a profound Fifth Republic test
The nomination comes at a critical moment, with Lecornu facing the immediate challenge of creating a stable government in a deeply divided parliament consisting of eleven different groups without a clear majority.
The political impasse threatens to rattle financial markets, with France now borrowing at ten-year rates as expensive as Italy, long considered among Europe’s weaker economic performers.
The primary task for Lecornu will be negotiating with the Socialist Party, which appears essential for his government’s survival. According to one of Macron’s regular contacts cited by AFP, the president might now accept the prime minister making real concessions to the Socialists, possibly including higher taxes on the wealthy – previously a taboo for Macron.
With this appointment, the French president has played what many consider his last card. If Lecornu fails, many political leaders consider another dissolution of the National Assembly inevitable. In case of prolonged deadlock, pressure would mount for Macron himself to resign – an outcome desired by both the far right and the far-left France Unbowed party.
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