PARIS — French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu submitted his resignation to President Emmanuel Macron on Monday, just hours after unveiling a new Cabinet that immediately sparked political backlash.
Macron accepted the resignation, broadcaster BFM TV reported, citing the Elysee Palace.
Lecornu’s short-lived Cabinet featured mostly the same ministers as the previous government, which collapsed on Sept. 8 after losing a confidence vote in the National Assembly.
Opposition leaders swiftly criticized the move. Far-right National Rally leader Marine Le Pen called the reshuffle “pathetic,” saying on X that it was “seasoned with the man who bankrupted France.”
Green Party leader Marine Tondelier said Macron’s allies had shown “contempt for democracy,” while Socialist group leader Boris Vallaud accused the government of “plunging the country a little deeper into chaos every day.”
Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau, who remains in his post, said he would convene a strategic committee meeting of the Republicans following the “political situation created” by the Cabinet announcement, writing on X that the new lineup “does not reflect the promised break.”
Under Lecornu’s proposed Cabinet, Roland Lescure replaced Eric Lombard as finance minister, while former Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire returned to government as defense minister.
The reshuffle also included Eric Woerth as minister for territorial organization, Naima Moutchou for transformation and digital technology, Mathieu Lefevre for parliamentary relations, and Marina Ferrari for sports and youth.
Lecornu was appointed prime minister after Francois Bayrou lost a confidence vote in early September. Bayrou had sought parliamentary backing for a plan to cut €44 billion ($51 billion) from France’s budget to reduce public debt, which stands at 115% of GDP.
France continues to grapple with one of the European Union’s largest budget deficits — 5.8% of GDP — and repeated failures to pass budget frameworks have fueled instability in Macron’s government. — Agencies
