US EditionREPLAY: Bayrou Officially Hands over to New French PM Lecornu
Lecornu, France's fifth prime minister in under two years, is tasked with forging consensus on a €44 billion austerity budget amid deep parliamentary divisions and public unrest.
- On Tuesday, President Emmanuel Macron appointed Sébastien Lecornu as prime minister, and Lecornu assumed office Wednesday in a handover with outgoing Prime Minister François Bayrou.
- Bayrou's budget proposal failed after François Bayrou, outgoing prime minister, sought nearly 44 billion in savings in a 2026 budget framework but received only 194 votes to 364 against amid 113% public debt.
- A 39-year-old Lecornu has two decades of political experience and has served continuously since 2017 in multiple ministerial roles, including as defence minister overseeing France's military posture on Ukraine.
- Macron has ordered Lecornu to lead consultations to agree the 2026 budget, while Jordan Bardella, National Rally leader, warned, `Either there is a break, or there will be censure`.
- Macron is relying on Lecornu as a loyalist shield to steady a fractured parliament, while senior figures like former prime minister Edouard Philippe warn failure to compromise risks new elections amid criticism from far-right and left figures.
39 Articles
39 Articles
Not yet invited by the new Prime Minister, Marine Le Pen and Jordan Bardella have said they are ready to meet him in Matignon, while immediately setting out multiple red lines on the budget and in
French ultra-right leader demands to stop immigration and reduce contributions to the EU while awaiting her embezzlement appeal trial
Sébastien Lecornu (39 years old), appointed on Wednesday prime minister, is accused on Thursday of "inflating" slightly his "curriculum vitae" (CV), before even being able to present Emmanuel Macron with a government project.These are relatively 'minor' accusations, but flammable in a France where it is traditional that the political elite has studied higher education in special schools of a certain reputation.Not without a certain malevolence a…
France’s new PM Lecornu faces protests, debt crisis and political turmoil
France has appointed Sebastien Lecornu as its new prime minister, replacing Francois Bayrou amid protests and economic turmoil. Lecornu takes charge during mass demonstrations against austerity, soaring national debt, and a fragmented parliament. His immediate challenge is to pass the 2026 budget while calming public anger over spending cuts.
The football metaphor on the Mbappé-Dembélé rivalry for the Ballon d-Or is used to illuminate the one between Gérald Darmanin and the new Prime Minister, Sébastien Lecornu.
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