Emmanuel Macron Reappoints Sébastien Lecornu As French Prime Minister Just Days After He Quit

In a shocking move, French President Emmanuel Macron has once again appointed Sébastien Lecornu as Prime Minister, only days after Lecornu had stepped down from the role. The appointment is made under current political uncertainty in France, with Lecornu being given the task of presenting a national budget to parliament by the end of the year.

The Élysée Palace confirmed on Friday that “the president of the republic has proposed Mr Sébastien Lecornu as prime minister and asked him to form a government.” Lecornu, in an X message, stated he took on the position “in a spirit of duty,” stressing the necessity to put an end to the political crisis that annoyed the French public.

Lecornu declared, “We need to end this political crisis that infuriates the French people and to this instability damaging the image and interests of France.” He underlined as well that correcting public finances is “a priority for our future” and warned everyone coming into his government to leave aside ambitions for the presidential elections in 2027.

Who is Sébastien Lecornu?

At only 39, Sébastien Lecornu is France’s youngest ever prime minister. A staunch Macron ally for many years, he has been Defence Minister in recent years, advocating higher defence spending and taking part in EU security talks, especially on Ukraine. The career of Lecornu as a politician started early enough: he was elected mayor at the age of 18 and at 22 was the youngest adviser to then-President Nicolas Sarkozy before joining Macron’s centrist movement. He was also instrumental in Macron’s re-election in 2022.

Lecornu’s first challenge will be to table and obtain approval of France’s budget, a move towards stabilising the finances and political environment of the country before the next elections. Analysts indicate that his reappointment is an indication of Macron’s need for continuity and seasoned leadership during continued political unrest.

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