French President Emmanuel Macron has announced a new government following days of intense negotiations with newly reappointed Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu, as France races to meet its constitutional deadline to present the 2026 national budget to parliament.
The new cabinet, unveiled on Sunday, retains several key figures while introducing new faces across major ministries. Jean-Noël Barrot remains as foreign minister, while outgoing Labour Minister Catherine Vautrin has been appointed defence minister. Macron loyalist Roland Lescure takes over as economy minister, underscoring the president’s reliance on trusted allies amid political turbulence.
Notably, Paris police chief Laurent Nunez assumes the role of interior minister, replacing Bruno Retailleau of the right-wing Republicans (LR) party, while Monique Barbut, former head of the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), becomes minister for environmental transition.
Gérald Darmanin retains his position as justice minister, and Rachida Dati, who faces a pending corruption trial, remains culture minister.
In a statement on X, Lecornu described his new team as a “mission-based government” tasked with drafting France’s budget before year-end, thanking ministers for setting aside partisan interests in favour of national priorities.
Macron reappointed Lecornu late on Friday, just days after his earlier resignation triggered the collapse of his first government. The president, under mounting political pressure, turned to his former defence minister to restore stability and deliver a credible fiscal plan amid record public debt.
However, Macron’s political path remains fraught. The Republicans (LR) party announced on Saturday that it would not join the new administration, opting instead to cooperate on a “bill-by-bill” basis. The move complicates Lecornu’s efforts to build consensus in a hung parliament, where the government faces potential collapse at the first no-confidence vote.
Speaking to La Tribune, Lecornu said he had resigned earlier because “conditions were no longer met” but agreed to return after assurances of broader consultation. He also pledged to work with “all mainstream political movements” and to select ministers “not imprisoned by parties.”
France is under growing pressure from the European Union to reduce its deficit and debt, with austerity measures already proving politically volatile. Both of Lecornu’s predecessors were forced out amid fierce backlash over proposed spending cuts and controversial pension reforms that raised the retirement age from 62 to 64.
Lecornu signalled some flexibility, saying, “All debates are possible,” particularly around the pension issue, while stressing that restoring France’s public finances remains “a priority for the future.”
Failure to secure parliamentary backing for the new budget could force the government to rely on emergency spending measures from January 1, deepening the country’s political paralysis.
Macron, who faces his toughest domestic crisis since taking office in 2017, has yet to address the nation. He is expected to travel to Egypt on Monday for talks on a Gaza ceasefire deal brokered by the United States, a trip that may delay the budget’s presentation.
The new government’s success will hinge on whether Lecornu can navigate the deep divisions within parliament and steer France through one of its most fragile political moments in recent history.
