French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday selected Defence Minister Sebastien Lecornu to take over as the country’s new prime minister, just a day after a confidence vote in the National Assembly brought down the government of François Bayrou.
The incoming head of government has been assigned the task of meeting with political parties to work toward deal on France’s upcoming budget.
A former conservative who switched to Macron’s party in 2017, Lecornu has stood out as one of the president’s most loyal allies. At 39, he becomes the fifth prime minister to serve under Macron’s second term, which began in 2022.
Macron’s swift decision to appoint Lecornu comes on the eve of major nationwide protests planned for Wednesday by a movement called “Let’s Block Everything”. In anticipation, the government has prepared to deploy an unprecedented 80,000 police officers to maintain order.
Lecornu’s political career has taken him from local government roles to parliament, and he has held several posts under Macron’s presidency, notably as minister for overseas territories between 2020 and 2022.
