French President Emmanuel Macron has once again thrown the political dice, appointing his trusted ally Sébastien Lecornu as France’s new prime minister on September 9, 2025. The move comes after the dramatic ousting of François Bayrou in a confidence vote, a spectacle that left the government in limbo and sent ripples through an already fractured National Assembly. Lecornu, just 39 years old, now steps into the hot seat as France’s fifth prime minister in less than two years—a statistic that speaks volumes about the country’s current political turbulence.
Bayrou’s downfall was swift and decisive. He had staked his government’s future on a controversial austerity budget, proposing nearly €44 billion ($52 billion) in spending cuts to address France’s ballooning debt. The gamble backfired spectacularly: 364 lawmakers voted against the government, while only 194 expressed confidence, as reported by AFP and Politico. Bayrou’s plan included slashing two public holidays and trimming the budget by a whopping EUR 43.8 billion ($77.9 billion), but the National Assembly wasn’t having it. His resignation on September 8, 2025, left Macron with no time to lose.
Within 24 hours, Macron named Lecornu as his successor, signaling both urgency and a desire for continuity. According to Reuters, Lecornu is a centrist loyalist who’s served in every year of Macron’s presidency. He ran Macron’s re-election campaign, previously managed the yellow vest protests, and has been at the helm of the defense ministry, overseeing a major military expansion through 2030—an effort spurred by Russia’s war in Ukraine. Lecornu’s background is steeped in politics: he canvassed for Nicolas Sarkozy at 16, became a mayor at 18, and was Sarkozy’s youngest government adviser at 22. He later left the conservative Les Republicains party to join Macron’s centrist movement in 2017.
Lecornu’s immediate priority is clear: build consensus on the 2026 budget and prevent the kind of deadlock that toppled his predecessor. Macron has tasked him with “consulting the political forces represented in parliament with a view to adopting a national budget and securing essential agreements for decisions in the coming months,” according to a statement cited by AFP. The stakes are sky-high, with a budget deadline looming on October 7, 2025, and France’s deficit sitting at 5.8% of GDP—nearly double the EU’s 3% threshold. National debt has soared past €3.3 trillion, about 114% of GDP, as highlighted by India Today.
But the appointment of a loyalist like Lecornu is not without risk. As Sky News and Reuters point out, Macron’s choice is a snub to the socialists and left-wing factions, who believe they now have a mandate to govern. The left reacted with derision, and the hard-left France Unbowed party immediately announced plans to file a motion of no confidence against Lecornu. However, their chances of success appear slim. The far-right National Rally (RN), led by Marine Le Pen and party president Jordan Bardella, holds the largest bloc in parliament and has hinted at possible tacit support for Lecornu—at least for now. Bardella cautioned, “We will judge—without illusion—the new Prime Minister on his merits, on his actions, on his policies for providing France with a budget, and this in light of our red lines.”
Lecornu’s relationship with the RN is complicated. He reportedly had a secret dinner with Marine Le Pen in 2024 and is said to have their tentative approval, according to Sky News. The RN has made its terms clear: it will not tolerate tax increases on working people and wants to see cuts to immigration costs, high spending by civil servants, and France’s contributions to the European Union. The party has been instrumental in bringing down both Bayrou and his predecessor Michel Barnier, who was also ousted by a no-confidence vote in December 2024.
The political climate is tense, to say the least. Nationwide protests organized by the “Block Everything” (Bloquons Tout) movement were scheduled for September 10, 2025, threatening widespread disruption. The government responded by deploying 80,000 police officers to maintain order, as reported by CNN. And there’s more unrest on the horizon: a broader union-led strike is planned for September 18, 2025. The left has called on voters to express their disdain through these demonstrations, underscoring the deep divisions that Lecornu must now attempt to bridge.
Despite the chaos, Macron’s choice of Lecornu signals a determination to stick with his pro-business, reformist agenda. Under Macron, taxes on business and the wealthy have been cut, and the retirement age has been raised—policies that the socialists have pledged to reverse. Lecornu’s appointment suggests that these reforms will continue, even as France’s minority government remains fragile and unpopular. As Reuters notes, Macron’s office emphasized that Lecornu was chosen to “build a government with a clear direction: the defense of our independence and our power, the service of the French people, and political and institutional stability.” Lecornu himself posted on X, “I wish to thank him for the confidence he has shown me by appointing me Prime Minister.”
Lecornu’s experience managing crises may serve him well. He played a key role in the 2019 “great debate” during the yellow vest protests, helping channel public anger into dialogue. In 2021, he engaged in autonomy talks amid unrest in Guadeloupe. More recently, he has helped shape European thinking on security guarantees for Ukraine. But the task ahead is daunting: unite a fractured parliament, secure a budget, and stave off snap elections—all while navigating the competing demands of left and right, and the ever-present threat of street protests.
Observers across the political spectrum are watching closely. Some see Lecornu’s ascent as a sign of Macron’s resolve to preserve his economic legacy at all costs. Others warn that appointing another loyalist risks further alienating voters who are already disillusioned with France’s “dysfunctional politics,” as Reuters put it. The coming weeks will test Lecornu’s political acumen and his ability to forge unlikely alliances in pursuit of stability.
For now, France stands at a crossroads. With the clock ticking toward the October budget deadline and public anger simmering, Lecornu’s success—or failure—will shape the country’s trajectory for years to come. The nation’s political fate hangs in the balance, and all eyes are on the new prime minister as he attempts to steady the ship in stormy waters.