Overview

• The Élysée named 18 ministers in the initial lineup, with further appointments to follow, nearly a month after Sébastien Lecornu became prime minister.
• Roland Lescure takes the finance brief and Bruno Le Maire moves to defense, while Jean-Noël Barrot stays at foreign affairs, Bruno Retailleau at interior, Gérald Darmanin at justice, and Rachida Dati remains culture minister.
• Lecornu’s government lacks a stable majority as left-wing parties prepare no-confidence motions and the National Rally presses for snap legislative elections.
• The prime minister pledged not to use Article 49.3 to force through the budget and is courting cross-party backing, including proposals aimed at winning Socialist support such as a revised wealth tax.
• Nationwide strikes and protests over spending cuts have intensified, and markets and ratings agencies are watching France’s eurozone‑high deficit as the government readies its policy speech on Tuesday.