French President Macron has appointed Defense Minister Sébastien Lecornu as France’s new prime minister, the country’s fourth in about a year.
French President Macron late Tuesday appointed Defense Minister Sébastien Lecornu as France’s new prime minister and tasked him with immediately trying to get the country’s fractious political parties to agree on a budget for one of the world’s biggest economies.
Lecornu, 39, was the youngest defense minister in French history and was overseeing a major military buildup spurred by Russia’s war in Ukraine. A longtime Macron loyalist, Lecornu is now France’s fourth prime minister in barely a year.
A former conservative who joined Macron’s centrist movement in 2017, Lecornu has held posts in local governments, overseas territories and during Macron’s yellow vest „great debate“, when he helped manage a surge of anti-government protest with dialogue. He also offered talks on autonomy during unrest in the French overseas region of Guadeloupe in 2021.
His rise reflects Macron’s instinct to reward loyalty, but also the need for continuity as repeated budget showdowns have toppled his predecessors and left France in drift.
