Macron bets on continuity as Lecornu faces uphill battle in divided Parliament

French cabinet faces fierce opposition

French President Emmanuel Macron announced a new government on Sunday, assembling a cabinet of mostly familiar figures under Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu as he seeks to steer France out of its ongoing political turmoil.

The cabinet list was revealed nearly a month after Lecornu’s appointment as Macron’s seventh prime minister.

Despite his efforts to build cross-party consensus, Lecornu faces the threat of being ousted by an opposition-dominated and divided parliament. Leaders from both the right and left expressed anger over the lineup on Sunday night.

Bruno Le Maire, who served as economy minister from 2017 to 2024, was appointed defence minister at a time of heightened tensions with Russia over Ukraine. Roland Lescure, a close Macron ally, takes over the economy portfolio, tasked with delivering a challenging austerity budget for the coming year.

Several key ministers retained their positions. Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot kept his post, according to the presidency. Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau, who has pledged to clamp down on illegal immigration, and Justice Minister Gerald Darmanin also stayed in their roles.

Rachida Dati, the embattled culture minister facing a corruption trial next year, likewise remained in office.

In total, the presidency announced 18 appointments, with further names expected to be revealed later.

Far-right leader Marine Le Pen said the new cabinet lineup was "pathetic".

Jordan Bardella, the 30-year-old leader of Le Pen's National Rally party, also mocked the government and reiterated the threat of censure.

"We made it clear to the prime minister: it's either a break with the past or a vote of no confidence," he said on X.

Bardella said the cabinet lineup was "decidedly all about continuity and absolutely nothing about breaking with the past".

Le Pen, whose party senses its best chance to come to power, has said she is waiting to hear Lecornu's general policy speech on Tuesday before deciding on any further course of action.

Boris Vallaud, head of Socialist lawmakers, accused Macron's supporters of seeking to plunge France "further into chaos".

"They lose elections but they govern. They don't have a majority but refuse to compromise," he said on X.

The head of the hard-left France Unbowed group, Jean-Luc Melenchon, slammed what he described as a "procession of revenants" mostly hailing from the right, which he said "will not last."

"The countdown to get rid of them has begun," he said on X.

Some opposition leaders have urged Macron to call snap legislative elections or even resign.

Macron, who has just 18 months left in power and is enduring his worst-ever popularity levels, has insisted he will serve out his term in full.

Lecornu might be toppled by the end of next week, Mujtaba Rahman, Europe director at risk analysis firm Eurasia Group, told AFP.

"His odds of surviving are dwindling," he said. "The mood is darkening."

Paul Taylor, a senior visiting fellow at the European Policy Centre, said that French politics was increasingly driven by "anger and emotion rather than rationality".

"If Lecornu fails, I don't see much alternative to a dissolution," he told AFP. "What a mess France is stuck in until 2027, and maybe longer."

Lecornu's two immediate predecessors, Francois Bayrou and Michel Barnier, were ousted in a legislative standoff over France's austerity budget.

France's public debt has reached a record high, official data showed last week.

France's debt-to-GDP ratio is now the European Union's third-highest after Greece and Italy, and is close to twice the 60 percent permitted under EU rules.

France has been mired in deadlock since Macron gambled on snap elections in the middle of last year in the hopes of bolstering his authority.

The move backfired, with voters electing a parliament fractured between three rival blocs.

In appointing Lecornu in early September, Macron plumped for one of his closest allies rather than seeking to broaden the appeal of the government across the political spectrum.

For the past month, the new prime minister has held a series of consultations with centrist allies and opposition leaders on the right and left in a bid to agree on a non-aggression pact in parliament and adopt the budget.

In recent days, he has announced a number of concessions, including a pledge not to ram his austerity budget through parliament without a vote, but opposition leaders said they wanted more.

(With AFP Input)