PARIS — French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu unveiled key members of his new government on Sunday, ending weeks of uncertainty following his appointment last month.
Former Industry Minister Roland Lescure, an ally of President Emmanuel Macron who was in the running to become prime minister last year, will have arguably the toughest immediate challenge as he takes over from Eric Lombard as finance and economy minister. Tense talks over next year’s budget are already underway.
In a surprise twist, Bruno Le Maire, the former economy minister who left politics last year, returned to government take over as armed forces minister — the post Lecornu himself held until his recent promotion.
On the whole there are few fresh faces in Lecornu’s government, a sign that the political forces represented in Macron’s successive administrations remain broadly the same, despite Lecornu’s being the French president’s fifth prime minister in less than two years.
Many ministers from Macron’s centrist camp kept their posts, including Education Minister Elisabeth Borne and Overseas Territory Minister Manuel Valls — both former prime ministers themselves. Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot, Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin and Budget Minister Amélie de Montchalin all stayed in post as well.
Bruno Retailleau, the hardline leader of the conservative Les Républicains, will remain as interior minister. Fellow conservatives Annie Genevard and Rachida Dati will stay on as agriculture and culture ministers, respectfully.
An individual close to Lecornu, granted anonymity to adhere to standard professional practice in France, said junior ministers would be named after the prime minister addresses parliament for the first time on Tuesday.
The 39-year-old Lecornu, a close Macron ally, has been handed the arduous task of trying to negotiate a slimmed-down budget after his predecessor, François Bayrou, was toppled in a no-confidence vote last month.
On Friday, Lecornu offered a significant concession to opposition parties by promising not to use a controversial constitutional maneuver that allows the government to pass legislation without a vote.
The former armed forces minister has signaled he is ready to make some major budgetary concessions to the left-wing socialist party to secure their support. But he must tread carefully to keep the conservative Les Républicains on board.
Less than two hours after the government was appointed, that mission already appeared to be under threat. Retailleau had warned in recent days that his participation in the government was not set in stone and demanded assurances on the new Cabinet’s economic and immigration policy.
And despite being reappointed, the leader of Les Républicains quickly expressed dissatisfaction with the government’s makeup, which at this stage contains four ministers from Les Républicains against twelve from Macron’s Renaissance party.
“The composition of the government does not reflect the promised break,” Retailleau posted on X, adding that he would be calling an emergency meeting of his party’s strategic board.
“The big issue is not only Les Républicains’ place in the government, but also the balance between the forces of the governing coalition,” said an adviser to Retailleau, speaking on the condition of anonymity. “The tightening around [Macron’s party] Renaissance does not seem to us to be entirely in tune with the times.”
This article has been updated. Victor Goury-Laffont contributed to this report.
