Macron appoints Sebastien Lecornu as France's new PM

French President Emmanuel Macron named Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu as the country's new prime minister on Tuesday evening.

Lecornu, 39, has served as defense 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."

Photo taken on Sept. 4, 2025 shows French Defense minister Sebastien Lecornu at the Elysee Palace in Paris. [Photo/Xinhua]

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 organized largely via social media, has called for a nationwide standstill on Wednesday 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 on Tuesday.

The handover of power between Bayrou and Lecornu is set for Wednesday at noon at Matignon, the French prime minister's office.