French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday evening appointed 39-year-old Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu as the country's new prime minister, tasking him with charting a path through a fractured National Assembly.
Lecornu, a close ally of Macron who has led the defense portfolio for more than three years, will now begin consultations with political parties to "build the necessary agreements for decisions in the coming months," according to an Elysee statement.
In a message on his social media account, Lecornu thanked Macron for his trust and praised outgoing Prime Minister Francois Bayrou for his "courage" in defending his convictions. Bayrou resigned earlier Tuesday after losing a confidence vote tied to his proposed budget cuts.
Veteran lawmakers rallied around the appointment. Gabriel Attal, head of the Together for the Republic coalition in the National Assembly and outgoing prime minister, welcomed the choice on X, calling it in "the public interest." Former Prime Minister Edouard Philippe said Lecornu "has the qualities" to forge cross-party deals in a hung parliament.
But the shift ignited sharp criticism from the opposition. Marine Le Pen of the National Rally called it "Macron’s last card of Macronism," while Mathilde Panot of La France Insoumise labeled the move a "provocation" ahead of the "Block Everything" protests—an online-organized campaign set to bring the country to a standstill Wednesday in opposition to Bayrou’s budget plan.
The handover is scheduled for Wednesday at noon at Matignon, the prime minister’s office. As Lecornu takes the helm, all eyes will be on his ability to negotiate alliances and steer France through social unrest and looming fiscal decisions.
Reference(s):
cgtn.com
