France’s President Emmanuel Macron has named Defence Minister Sébastien Lecornu as the country’s next prime minister.
According to a press release sent by the Elysée Palace on Tuesday evening, Macron “has tasked” Lecornu with “consulting the political forces represented in Parliament to adopt a budget and build on the agreements essential for decisions in the coming months.”
Lecornu was already tipped for the position last year and will succeed François Bayrou, who was ousted from office after losing a crucial confidence vote in parliament on Monday.
Sébastien Lecornu will now have to pick his cabinet in the coming days. The handover between Lecornu and Bayrou will take place on Wednesday at noon in Paris, according to the team of the now former prime minister.
“The answer is in the streets”
The announcement also comes on the eve of nationwide protests that aim to paralyse transport, schools, and daily life.
“Emmanuel Macron is therefore preparing to appoint a Prime Minister without consulting the political parties…The answer is in the streets. Tomorrow,” said Marine Tondelier, leader of the Green Party, shortly before Lecornu’s appointment.
“Only Macron’s departure can put an end to this sad comedy of contempt for Parliament, voters and political decency,’ posted hard left firebrand leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon.
“The President is firing the last cartridge…bunkered down with his little group of loyalists,” quipped Marine Le Pen, the co-chair of the far-right National Rally party.
“After the inevitable future snap elections, the Prime Minister will be called Jordan Bardella,” she continued, referring to her 29-year-old protegé and MEP.
The National Rally party has been calling on the French President to dissolve the lower house of parliament and call for new parliamentary elections.
But dissolving parliament could deliver an inconclusive result, or give even more seats to the far-right National Rally or to the hard-left France Unbowed party. Macron has repeatedly said that this option is not his first choice.
Lecornu is a loyal Macron-era stalwart who has held positions in the president’s team since 2017.
He will now have to tackle the budget issue quickly, which led to the downfall of his two predecessors.
At the heart of the showdown were France’s fragile public finances. Last year’s deficit reached 5.8% of GDP, nearly double the EU ceiling of 3%, while national debt now stands at more than €3.3 trillion, roughly 114% of economic output.
Bayrou has argued that drastic cuts are unavoidable, putting forward a plan to slash €44 billion in spending by 2026, partly by scrapping two public holidays.
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