Lecornu, 39, faces the challenge of securing support in a divided parliament to pass a budget
France’s new prime minister, Sébastien Lecornu, has pledged a “profound break” with past politics as he succeeded the unpopular centrist François Bayrou, who was ousted this week over a proposed budget squeeze.
Lecornu, 39, who described “humility” as the cornerstone of his approach, faces the difficult task of gaining enough backing in France’s fractured parliament to pass a budget and avoid the fate of his two predecessors. Bayrou was dismissed after just months in office, following the brief tenure of the rightwing Michel Barnier.
“We will get there … no path is impossible,” Lecornu said on Wednesday.
He is the third prime minister in a year, as France struggles through political instability since centrist president Emmanuel Macron called an inconclusive snap election last year. Parliament remains split between three blocs — the left, the far right and the centre — with no clear majority. A budget for next year must be agreed in the coming weeks despite entrenched divisions.
Lecornu, who served as defence minister for the past three years and oversaw rising military spending, said France must “change, be more creative and serious in our way of working with the opposition.” He promised deep reforms in both political methods and substance, and announced that he would address the nation “in the coming days” to outline his approach. He is expected to take several weeks to form a government.
On his first day in office, Lecornu began meetings with party leaders while tens of thousands of protesters staged a national day of demonstrations. Roads were barricaded, town centres filled with rallies, and 80,000 police were deployed across the country.
Although he has spoken of change, Lecornu is widely viewed as representing continuity. Once aligned with Nicolas Sarkozy’s rightwing party, he joined Macron’s centrists eight years ago and has been a loyal ally ever since Macron’s election in 2017. His closeness to the president has earned him the nickname “Macron’s spiritual son.”
Opposition parties, however, expressed scepticism. The leftwing La France Insoumise filed an immediate no-confidence motion against him, though without backing from other groups. Lecornu’s challenge will be to prevent a majority from supporting such a move.
Jordan Bardella, leader of the far-right National Rally, warned that Lecornu was “in a very precarious position,” and said failure to deliver real change would lead to his downfall. Sébastien Chenu, the party’s vice-president, added it would be “very surprising” if Lecornu truly broke with Macron’s politics.