Macron appoints Defense Minister Lecornu as France's latest prime minister

PARIS — French President Macron late Tuesday appointed Defense Minister Sébastien Lecornu as France’s new prime minister, the country’s fourth in about a year.

Lecornu, 39, is the youngest defense minister in French history and architect of a major military buildup through 2030, spurred by Russia’s war in Ukraine.

A former conservative who joined Macron’s centrist movement in 2017, he has held posts in local governments, overseas territories and during Macron’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.

For Subscribers

FOR SUBSCRIBERSNew AI tool for voters offers a specialized chatbot to explain your ballot

FOR SUBSCRIBERSWhat the rural data center boom looks like, from the people who have lived through it

FOR SUBSCRIBERSInteractive map: How far do you live from the nearest data center?

FOR SUBSCRIBERSiPhone Duo review: The good, bad and the buggy

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAnger over rising prices could be decisive in Alaska’s unusually close Senate race

FOR SUBSCRIBERSDOJ weighs election litigation against more states

FOR SUBSCRIBERSGOP Senate hopeful Ashley Hinson balances standing by Trump and standing up to him in Iowa

FOR SUBSCRIBERSInside the reopened U.S. Embassy in Caracas

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAIPAC shifts tactics amid voter frustration with Israel

FOR SUBSCRIBERSThe viral attack ad featuring an estranged mother

FOR SUBSCRIBERSU.S. troops and diplomats evacuating Middle East posts, sources say

FOR SUBSCRIBERSBogus trans youth brochure rattles Texas voters

FOR SUBSCRIBERSWho knew a basket could be sexy? How ‘Wicker’ became fall’s surprise must-see

FOR SUBSCRIBERSExperts explain how an AI kill switch could work

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCalifornia’s billionaire tax faces a mountain of opposition — and not just from the rich

Slide 1 of 1

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.

Legislators toppled Lecornu’s predecessor Francois Bayrou and his government in a confidence vote on Monday, a new crisis for Europe’s second-largest economy.

For Subscribers

FOR SUBSCRIBERSNew AI tool for voters offers a specialized chatbot to explain your ballot

FOR SUBSCRIBERSWhat the rural data center boom looks like, from the people who have lived through it

FOR SUBSCRIBERSInteractive map: How far do you live from the nearest data center?

FOR SUBSCRIBERSiPhone Duo review: The good, bad and the buggy

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAnger over rising prices could be decisive in Alaska’s unusually close Senate race

FOR SUBSCRIBERSDOJ weighs election litigation against more states

FOR SUBSCRIBERSGOP Senate hopeful Ashley Hinson balances standing by Trump and standing up to him in Iowa

FOR SUBSCRIBERSInside the reopened U.S. Embassy in Caracas

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAIPAC shifts tactics amid voter frustration with Israel

FOR SUBSCRIBERSThe viral attack ad featuring an estranged mother

FOR SUBSCRIBERSU.S. troops and diplomats evacuating Middle East posts, sources say

FOR SUBSCRIBERSBogus trans youth brochure rattles Texas voters

FOR SUBSCRIBERSWho knew a basket could be sexy? How ‘Wicker’ became fall’s surprise must-see

FOR SUBSCRIBERSExperts explain how an AI kill switch could work

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCalifornia’s billionaire tax faces a mountain of opposition — and not just from the rich

Slide 1 of 1

Bayrou gambled that lawmakers 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 U.S. President Donald Trump.