Macron appoints centrist ally Sebastien Lecornu as PM - with defence minister becoming fourth PM in a year
French president Emmanuel Macron has appointed defence minister Sebastien Lecornu as the country's new prime minister, the fourth in approximately a year.
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Lecornu, 39, is the youngest defence minister in French history and architect of a major military build-up through to 2030, spurred on by Russia's war in Ukraine.
It comes just 24 hours after politicians toppled Lecornu's predecessor Francois Bayrou and his government in a confidence vote on Monday, deepening the political crisis facing Europe's second-largest economy.
Lecornu was one of the favourites to take over from Bayrou, and the Elysée Palace said he has been given the task of working with France's divided political parties to approve a new budget.
Read more: Emmanuel Macron rules out snap election after no confidence vote plunges France into crisis
His rise reflects Macron's instinct to reward loyalty, but also the need for continuity as repeated budget showdowns have toppled his predecessors and left France in drift.
A former conservative who joined Mr Macron's centrist movement in 2017, Lecornu has held posts in local governments, overseas territories and during the president's yellow vest "great debate", where he helped manage mass anger with dialogue. He also offered talks on autonomy during unrest in Guadeloupe in 2021.
But Macron's decision to immediately appoint a new Prime Minister hasn't been welcomed by opposing politicians, who were urging the President to call snap elections.
Marine Le Pen, president of the far-right National Rally, said a fresh electoral contest "is the only way, the best way, to get out of a political crisis".
“Dissolving parliament will not be option, but an obligation,” she added.
The National Rally's Jordan Bardella echoed those calls, arguing "this country has been deadlocked for over a year".
"It is dangerous to leave France drifting like this and to let those who've been in power for decades destroy the country," he told the BBC.
Macron is scrambling to keep the centre together as pressure piles on the President while the National Rally tops the polls - while France's public deficits continues spiralilng deeper.
Mr Bayrou gambled that politicians would back his view that France must slash public spending to rein in its huge debts.
Instead, they seized on the vote to gang up against the 74-year-old centrist who was appointed by Macron last December.
The demise of Bayrou's short-lived minority government heralds renewed uncertainty and a risk of prolonged legislative deadlock for France as it wrestles with pressing challenges, including budget difficulties and, internationally, wars in Ukraine and Gaza and the shifting priorities of US president Donald Trump.
It will be difficult to convince the rest of the National Assembly to back the new Prime Minister.
Monday's confidence vote took place against the backdrop of a fractured parliament, left in disarray after snap elections called by Macron in June did not result in an outright majority for any party.
While far-right Marine Le Pen was slated to win, the left-wing coalition New Popular Front (NFP) led by hard-left veteran Jean-Luc Mélenchon surged to win the most seats in the election.
Macron, in turn, was supposed to appoint a candidate suitable for parliament, which is normally someone from the party with the most votes, the left-wing NFP. He decided instead to appoint the conservative Bayrou, one of his earliest allies.
The 74-year-old had been in office since December, serving a prime ministerial term marked by chaos as France reckons with an ever-growing mountain of debt.
France's deficit hit 5.8% of gross domestic product last year, way above the official EU target of 3%. Bayrou struggled to get parliament to approve his controversial budget, which included €44bn in budget cuts.
His government was ousted by 364 votes to 194.
It is now Lecornu's task to achieve a consensus between opposing political parties by proposing a budget they can all support.