Emmanuel Macron Appoints Sebastien Lecornu As New PM, Replacing Francois Bayrou

French President Emmanuel Macron has appointed Sebastien Lecornu as the country’s new prime minister following the resignation of François Bayrou. Macron has reportedly assigned him the urgent task of brokering a budget agreement among the country's divided political parties, overseeing one of the world's largest economies.

This marks the fifth change in prime minister during Macron's second term in office, highlighting a period of significant political instability in France.  François Bayrou was ousted a no-confidence vote in parliament over his proposed austerity budget.

Lecornu, 39, previously served as Defence Minister, serving Ministry of the Armed Forces. He is a trusted ally of Macron, having served in every one of his governments since 2017. He held posts in Macron’s yellow vest “great debate, when he helped manage mass anger with dialogue. He also offered talks on autonomy during unrest in Guadeloupe in 2021. Before joining Macron’s centrist political movement, he was once a member of the conservative Les Républicains party.