Paris: French President Emmanuel Macron has unveiled a new government in an attempt to steer the nation out of its latest political deadlock.
The new cabinet was presented nearly a month after the appointment of Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu, who faces the formidable challenge of governing a parliament fractured between three rival blocs- Macron’s centrist minority, the far right, and the left. At 39, Lecornu becomes Macron’s fifth prime minister in two years and seventh overall since he first took office in 2017.
Lecornu named Roland Lescure, a close presidential ally and former Socialist, as France’s new finance minister. His nomination was viewed as a strategic attempt to reach out to the left ahead of contentious budget negotiations, but the gesture drew little enthusiasm from opposition lawmakers.
The hard-left France Unbowed party immediately announced plans to file a no-confidence motion, warning that the new lineup represented continuity, not change.
The government’s first test will come on Tuesday, when Lecornu is scheduled to deliver a policy speech outlining his agenda. His success will depend on whether he can secure the support or at least the abstention of enough lawmakers to avoid being voted out.
Nous l’avions dit clairement au Premier ministre : c’est la rupture, ou la censure.
Le gouvernement annoncé ce soir, composé des derniers macronistes agrippés au radeau de la Méduse, a décidément tout de la continuité, absolument rien de la rupture que les Français attendent.
— Jordan Bardella (@J_Bardella) October 5, 2025
Budget negotiations, set against the backdrop of France’s widening fiscal deficit, are expected to be especially volatile. Two of Lecornu’s predecessors, François Bayrou and Michel Barnier, were forced out by parliamentary resistance to austerity measures aimed at curbing France’s ballooning public debt, now the largest in the eurozone. Credit agencies and investors are watching closely for signs of fiscal discipline.
Despite calls for a clean break, Macron opted for stability by retaining several key figures: Jean-Noël Barrot remains foreign minister, Bruno Retailleau continues as interior minister, and Gérald Darmanin stays at justice.
Emmanuel Macron nomme pour la 3ème fois depuis les législatives un gouvernement des perdants.
Le gouvernement Lecornu c’est quasi le même que celui de Bayrou juste encore plus à droite. Preuve supplémentaire qu’il va chercher du côté du RN sa survie.
Dès cette semaine,…
— Eric Coquerel (@ericcoquerel) October 5, 2025
Former finance minister Bruno Le Maire has been reassigned to defence, where he will help shape European security strategy amid U.S. President Donald Trump’s push for the EU to take greater responsibility for Ukraine’s defence.
Lecornu has proposed reintroducing a wealth tax and vowed not to bypass parliament with special constitutional powers. Yet the Socialists remain unconvinced.
“Without a genuine shift in policy, we will vote against the government,” said Socialist Party secretary general Pierre Jouvet on BFM TV.
