PARIS – France’s new Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu named a new government on Sunday evening as he seeks to deliver a 2026 budget and restore political stability following weeks of turbulence that have shaken business confidence.
Lecornu, a 39-year-old centrist who was reappointed prime minister on Friday after a 27-day stint in office, said he had assembled “a government with a clear mandate to give France a budget before the end of the year,” and – according to those close to him – wanted to “bring new faces to the forefront.”
The prime minister retained several familiar figures, including Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin, Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot, Agriculture Minister Annie Genevard, Culture Minister Rachida Dati, and Public Accounts Minister Amélie de Montchalin.
Labour Minister Catherine Vautrin will take over Lecornu’s former role at the Ministry of the Armed Forces. Economy Minister Roland Lescure, a former Socialist appointed last week, will steer the 2026 budget through the National Assembly.
Among new appointments are senior civil servants and figures from civil society. Paris Police Prefect Laurent Nuñez was named interior minister, SNCF CEO Jean-Pierre Farandou becomes labour minister, and former WWF France president Monique Barbut takes over the environment portfolio.
Socialist Party (PS) leader Olivier Faure declined to comment after Lecornu’s announcement, while Marine Le Pen said her far-right National Rally (RN) party would file a no-confidence motion against the government as early as Monday.
The Socialists may choose not to censure the new government if Lecornu agrees to revisit the controversial 2023 pension reform, which raised the retirement age from 62 to 64.
Manon Aubry, from the left-wing La France Insoumise (LFI), said there was “no point” in remembering the names of the new ministers as “the government won’t last the week.”
Open crisis within Les Républicains
Former Interior Minister and current Les Républicains (LR) president Bruno Retailleau emerged as the main loser. After sinking Lecornu’s first government just a week ago, he forbade members of his party from joining the new one.
On Saturday, Retailleau was rebuked by a majority of LR MPs, who expressed “support” for the prime minister, arguing that his reappointment offered “a chance for stability.” His authority was further undermined on Sunday when six LR members were appointed ministers in Lecornu’s new cabinet.
In response, party leadership said on Sunday evening that “those LR members who have accepted ministerial posts can no longer claim affiliation with Les Républicains.”
This crisis follows former LR president Éric Ciotti’s alliance with Le Pen during the 2024 legislative elections, as calls grow for a broad “union of the right,” modelled on Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni‘s coalition.
The exclusion of LR members from Lecornu’s second government also raises questions about the future of Culture Minister Rachida Dati, who had officially been nominated as the party’s candidate for the Paris mayoral election next spring.
A draft budget is expected to be submitted at the new government’s first Council of Ministers meeting, scheduled for Tuesday at 10 a.m. Lecornu is due to address the National Assembly later that afternoon.
(cz)
