PARIS, Sept 10 (NNN-XINHUA) – French President, Emmanuel Macron, named Defence Minister, Sebastien Lecornu as the country’s new prime minister, last night.
Lecornu, 39, has served as defence minister for more than three years, and is regarded as a close ally of Macron, local media reported. The Elysee said, his main task will be to consult with political parties to “build the necessary agreements for decisions in the coming months.”
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.
Former Prime Minister Gabriel Attal, who heads the Together for the Republic coalition in the National Assembly, welcomed the appointment, saying on X that it serves “the public interest.” Edouard Philippe, another former prime minister under Macron, also voiced support, noting that, Lecornu “has the qualities” to negotiate and reach an agreement with the other parties.
The opposition reacted sharply. Marine Le Pen, former presidential candidate of National Rally, said, Macron was “playing his last card of Macronism.” Mathilde Panot, president of the La France Insoumise (LFI) parliamentary group, called the appointment a “provocation” on the eve of the “Block Everything” movement. She accused Macron of pursuing “the same policy for the rich, who are in the minority in the Assembly and the country.”
The “Block Everything” movement, a grassroots campaign organised largely via social media, has called for a nationwide standstill today, to protest Bayrou’s budget plan.
Macron made the appointment one day after Bayrou and his cabinet were ousted in a parliamentary confidence vote, over his proposal to cut public spending. Bayrou submitted his resignation earlier yesterday.
The handover of power between Bayrou and Lecornu is set for this afternoon at Matignon, the French prime minister’s office.– NNN-XINHUA
