Overview

• The Élysée said President Emmanuel Macron accepted Sébastien Lecornu’s resignation on October 6.
• The exit came a day after an initial 18-minister lineup was announced that kept 13 incumbents, with a smaller cabinet expected to total about 20–25 portfolios.
• Bruno Le Maire was named minister of the armed forces and Roland Lescure became finance minister, while several key posts were retained by their previous holders.
• Opposition leaders from the left and right pledged no-confidence motions, denouncing policy continuity, and even the interior minister said the team failed to deliver a promised break.
• Lecornu had said compromises would be required to pass the 2026 budget by year-end, and Paris’s CAC 40 fell more than 2% after news of his resignation, led by bank shares.