Overview

• The Élysée released the lineup on Sunday, keeping Jean-Noël Barrot as foreign minister, appointing Paris police chief Laurent Nuñez as interior minister, and naming Catherine Vautrin to head the armed forces, with Gérald Darmanin and Roland Lescure staying at justice and finance.
• A 2026 budget draft is due at the cabinet’s first meeting on October 14, after which lawmakers have 70 days to pass the finance bill.
• Sébastien Lecornu says he is assembling a cabinet free of party control and has barred declared 2027 presidential hopefuls from ministerial posts.
• Republicans leader Bruno Retailleau declined to join the government, and his party said it will expel members who accepted posts, including Rachida Dati, Annie Genevard, Vincent Jeanbrun and Philippe Tabarot.
• Left and right blocs are preparing censure motions, the Socialist Party signals possible support unless the 2023 pension reform is paused, and Lecornu says he would resign again if conditions are not met while indicating President Emmanuel Macron could dissolve the Assembly if a no-confidence vote passes.