New Cabinet, Old Crisis: Macron’s France braces for political and fiscal storm
France’s newly reappointed Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu named a new government on Sunday, as he faces pressure to urgently produce a budget and quell political turmoil that is scaring businesses and investors and staining the country’s image.
Lecornu, who was reappointed prime minister last week after a previous stint that lasted just 27 days, had pledged to deliver a cabinet of “renewal and diversity,” but stuck with his previous picks for most of the choice jobs.
It is unclear how long this new team will last, with the France Unbowed (LFI) saying it will file a motion of no confidence on Monday, as did the National Rally, meaning the new government will face a nail-biting vote before the end of the week.
This comes as President Emmanuel Macron, whose term ends in 2027, lacks a majority in the deeply fractured parliament and is losing support from his own ranks.
Lecornu reappointed Roland Lescure as finance minister. The government must formally present a budget in the coming days that faces a perilous path through a divided parliament.
He also kept Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot and Justice Minister Gerald Darmanin in their posts.
The most notable change to the ministerial picks was incoming Interior Minister Laurent Nunez, head of the Paris police, who replaces Bruno Retailleau.
Accordingly, the president’s office says the budget proposal must be ready by Wednesday to comply with constitutional deadlines. Having a cabinet in place is a formal precondition for presenting a budget.
In a sign of the volatility gripping French politics, however, Lecornu said on Sunday he would not rule out resigning again “if the conditions were no longer met again.”
“I’m not going to just go along with whatever,” he told La Tribune Dimanche.
