PARIS — French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu unveiled his next government on Sunday night, just two days after he was reappointed as head of government.
The cabinet consists of both civil servants and politicians, including some who were tapped during Lecornu’s first attempt at forming a government last week. Anger over his first government’s composition pushed the 39-year-old PM to submit his resignation after just 14 hours, thrusting France into crisis.
Among those staying on are Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin, Budget Minister Amélie de Montchalin and Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot, centrists who have been in their posts since early this year. Roland Lescure, a Macron ally who had been named economy and finance minister in Lecornu’s aborted government, will also stay on.
Lescure faces the difficult task of passing a budget for next year while cutting France’s massive public spending deficit, which is worrying financial markets and international institutions. Lecornu is expected to unveil his budget plans for next year on Monday, and outline his policy priorities in a speech before the French parliament in the coming days.
Conservative Catherine Vautrin, who served as health and labor minister under former Prime Minister François Bayrou, is the new armed forces minister. Conservatives Annie Genevard and Rachida Dati — the latter of whom is running for Paris mayor next year — will stay on as agriculture and culture minister, respectively. Their inclusion in government meant that all three can no longer claim to be a part of the conservative Les Républicains, the party said in a statement late Sunday. The statement said Friday that party leadership had voted against participating in the next French government.
Paris Police chief Laurent Nuñez will serve as interior minister, a job previously held by conservative leader Bruno Retailleau, who doesn’t feature in the new government. The former head of France’s state-owned railway company SNCF Jean-Pierre Farandou will serve as labor minister.“A mission-based government has been appointed to draw up a budget for France before the end of the year. I would like to thank the women and men who have freely committed themselves to this government, putting aside their personal and partisan interests,” Lecornu said in a post on X. “Only one thing matters: the interests of the country.”
How long this government will last remains to be seen.
The far-right National Rally and the far-left France Unbowed have already made clear that they will vote down the government. Together they control more than a third of seats in the French National Assembly, the more powerful lower house of parliament.
The Socialist Party, whose tacit support will be key for the survival of Lecornu’s government, have indicated that they will decide whether to topple the new government based on Lecornu’s concrete proposals, especially on a possible suspension of the controversial pensions reformed passed by Macron.
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