PARIS — French President Emmanuel Macron has named outgoing defense minister Sébastien Lecornu as prime minister, tasking him with navigating a divided parliament and steering through the crucial 2026 budget amid mounting political and economic turbulence.
The appointment followed the resignation of François Bayrou, who stepped down Monday after just nine months in office. Bayrou’s downfall was tied to his failure to rein in France’s rising deficit and secure parliamentary backing for austerity measures.
“Reality will remain relentless: expenses will continue to rise, and the burden of debt, already unbearable, will grow heavier,” Bayrou warned lawmakers before his ouster.
Lecornu, 39, is Macron’s longest-serving minister and seen as a political survivor. His immediate challenge will be building consensus with opposition parties to pass the next budget. The Élysée Palace said Macron had instructed him to consult political forces in parliament to secure agreements “essential to the decisions that will be taken in the coming months.”
The move comes against the backdrop of a fragmented National Assembly following Macron’s snap election gamble in 2024, which weakened his centrist bloc and strengthened both the far right and far left. France’s political gridlock has left governments short-lived, with repeated clashes over spending, tax reform, and austerity.
Nationwide protests and highway blockades are planned for Wednesday, with trade unions set to escalate strikes on September 18. The atmosphere is further strained by market jitters: French bond yields have climbed above those of Spain, Portugal, and Greece, raising fears of a potential sovereign debt downgrade.
Analysts warn that frustration is boiling over. “France is frustrated, furious, full of hatred towards the elite,” said Dominique Moïsi, a senior analyst at Institut Montaigne. “It sounds as if a regime change is inevitable, yet I can’t see how it will come about and who would do the job.”
With public trust collapsing and protests looming, Lecornu’s premiership begins under intense pressure—his success or failure could shape the trajectory of Macron’s final years in office and the future of French politics ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
