PARIS, Sept 10 — France’s new Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu officially assumed office on Wednesday, taking over from outgoing premier François Bayrou in a handover ceremony held a day after President Emmanuel Macron appointed him to the post.
Lecornu, the former Armed Forces minister, succeeded Bayrou, who resigned after losing a confidence vote in the National Assembly on Monday, Anadolu Ajansi reported.
“I will, and I am sure, that the entire team around me will do with me everything we can to help the government…My help and our help are assured to you at all times, during the weeks and months to come,” Bayrou said before handing over duties to Lecornu.
Lecornu praised Bayrou for his “extraordinary courage” in standing by his convictions and expressed confidence that “all of this will be recognised” one day.
“We will succeed, because deep down ... there is no other possible path. We must manage, in essence, to put an end to this double gap: the gap between the political situation and what our citizens legitimately expect for their daily lives, for the economic and social situation, for their security,” he said.
The new Prime Minister also underscored the need for a more “creative, technical and serious” approach in working with political opponents.
Lecornu becomes the only minister to have served continuously in government since Macron came to power in 2017.
The 39-year-old has held various posts including secretary of state for ecological and inclusive transition, local authorities' minister delegate, overseas territories minister, and most recently, Armed Forces minister.
France currently has one of the European Union’s highest budget deficits at 5.8 per cent.
Budget talks have remained a key point of contention in French politics.
The failure to reach agreement on the 2025 budget last year led to the collapse of the Michel Barnier government, after left-wing and far-right lawmakers united behind a no-confidence motion in December.
