French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday named Sébastien Lecornu as prime minister, making him the country’s fifth head of government in less than two years and the only minister to have served continuously in Macron’s governments since 2017.
Lecornu, 39, who has been France’s minister of the armed forces for three years, inherits a government that collapsed after a no-confidence vote on Monday that ousted François Bayrou. Macron said he had charged Lecornu with ‘‘building a Government with a clear direction: the defense of our independence and our power, the service of the French people, and political and institutional stability for the unity of the country.’’ Lecornu said on social media he was ‘‘at work, with humility,’’ and pledged to do ‘‘everything to succeed.’"
Lecornu’s immediate assignment is to steer adoption of the 2026 budget, a politically fraught task after successive failed attempts to secure majority support. Macron said Lecornu is to consult political forces represented in Parliament ‘‘with a view to adopting a budget for the Nation.’’ The announcement came as France faces rising public debt — roughly 3 trillion euros, or about 114% of gross domestic product — and a scheduled debt rating review by Fitch that could increase borrowing costs.
Bayrou, 74, had put forward a deficit-reduction plan that included cuts to welfare spending; it was rejected by lawmakers 364 to 194. Bayrou’s move to call a confidence vote was intended to force backing for those measures but instead precipitated the government’s collapse. His predecessor, Michel Barnier, was similarly removed in December after failing to get a deficit-reduction budget through Parliament.
Lecornu has a record that spans local politics and high-profile national assignments. He entered politics at 19 as France’s youngest parliamentary assistant, served in several local and regional roles with the conservatives Les Républicains, and joined Macron’s centrist movement in 2017 as secretary of state to the minister for ecological and inclusive transition. He has remained aligned with Macron since then and served as defense minister from May 2022, overseeing a major military buildup in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and driving a 413 billion-euro defense spending plan for 2024–2030.
He has not been free of controversy. Reports say he entertained a private dinner with far-right leader Marine Le Pen to discuss Ukraine, and former Prime Minister Barnier reportedly criticized his presence at EU foreign affairs and defense meetings in Brussels. Lecornu also served in roles in France’s overseas territories, including overseeing the government’s response to unrest in Guadeloupe in 2020–2022.
Macron’s choice drew mixed reactions across the political spectrum. MoDem centrist Marc Fesneau urged parties to work toward a consensus ‘‘for the stability of the country and its recovery, especially its budget.’’ Édouard Philippe, who led Macron’s first government and now heads the center-right Horizons party, said Lecornu knows how ‘‘to debate and listen’’ and will need those skills to forge deals in difficult circumstances. Left-wing Socialists voiced sharper criticism. One Socialist lawmaker called the appointment ‘‘a slap in the face for parliament’’ and for voters, and Socialist leader Olivier Faure urged Lecornu to renounce use of Article 49.3 of the constitution, which allows the government to pass legislation without a parliamentary vote.
Le Pen described the appointment as the ‘‘last cartridge of Macronism’’ and urged snap elections. Jordan Bardella, head of the far-right National Rally, said his party would judge Lecornu on actions and budget policy but stopped short of endorsing him.
The political challenge is compounded by public unrest. Grassroots anti-government protests under the banner Bloquons Tout, or "Block Everything," began across the country on Wednesday, and authorities were reported to be deploying about 80,000 police. Unions and activist groups have announced further strikes and demonstrations, including actions planned for Sept. 18 in opposition to austerity measures. Protesters have cited fatigue with repeated government changes and demanded systemic change.
Analysts say Lecornu will confront immediate choices about strategy: whether to seek cross-party compromise in a fragmented parliament, pursue a centrist coalition, or rely on executive tools such as Article 49.3 to force budget measures through. Passing a budget will require support from enough lawmakers in a legislature divided among Macron’s coalition, the far left and the far right. If Lecornu manages to pass a budget, he will then be expected to propose the formation of a new government; until then, the existing cabinet remains in place, Macron’s office said.
Financial markets and rating agencies will be watching closely. Fitch’s imminent review could raise borrowing costs and put additional pressure on any government attempting to implement deficit-cutting measures. Lecornu’s success or failure in securing a budget will be a key test of Macron’s ability to stabilize his administration after nearly two years of political turbulence that began when Macron called snap parliamentary elections last year and resulted in a hung parliament.
Lecornu’s appointment underscores Macron’s preference for a loyalist with experience on security and crisis management during periods of public unrest. It also highlights the limits of executive power in a divided political landscape and the immediate difficulty of advancing fiscal reforms amid popular resistance and parliamentary fragmentation. The coming weeks will show whether Lecornu can translate his defense and local-government experience into the political consensus Macron has demanded.
"We are at work, with humility, and we will do everything to succeed," Lecornu wrote on social media. Macron said the new prime minister’s actions will be guided by defense of national independence and power and by ‘‘political and institutional stability for the unity of our country.’' The statements set the tone for an early test of whether those goals can be achieved against mounting fiscal and political pressures.