French President Emmanuel Macron has appointed Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu as prime minister, initially tasking him with holding "consultations" with political parties with a view to "building the agreements necessary for decisions in the coming months," the Elysée Palace said, quoted by AFP. 

"He has tasked him with consulting with the political forces represented in parliament with a view to adopting the state budget and drawing up the agreements necessary for the decisions ahead. After these talks, the new prime minister will have to propose a government lineup to the president of the republic," the presidential office added.

On September 8, the former Prime Minister François Bayrou lost a vote of confidence in parliament. Bayrou had been in office for nine months. At the end of August, he announced that he would seek a vote of confidence in connection with his proposed debt reduction measures.  

In the vote in the National Assembly, 364 deputies declared that they had no confidence in the government, while only 194 voted in its support.

The cuts were intended to reduce France's national debt by €44 billion.

France's financial situation is indeed difficult. According to the French statistical office (INSEE), the country's debt amounted to €3.345 trillion at the end of the first quarter of 2025. While in the early 2000s the debt was 60% of GDP, it has risen to 116% this year.

Bayrou became the second French prime minister in a row to suffer such a fate, after Michel Barnier was dismissed in December, just three months after taking office. | BGNES