Overview

• President Emmanuel Macron appointed 39-year-old Defense Minister Sébastien Lecornu as prime minister after François Bayrou’s government fell in a confidence vote.
• Lecornu’s immediate brief from the Élysée is to consult parties in the National Assembly to shape agreements for the savings plan and only then unveil a government lineup.
• France’s lower house is split among centrists, the right‑national RN and the left with no majority, as EU deficit rules and heavy debt near 114% of GDP press for a credible 2026 budget; the deficit was last reported at 5.8%.
• Opposition leaders condemned the choice, with Marine Le Pen calling it Macron’s “last bullet,” while Greens and LFI labeled it a provocation and some conservatives signaled cautious openness.
• Protest blockades are planned for Wednesday with authorities mobilizing 80,000 police and warning of rail and airport disruptions, and unions have called nationwide strikes for September 18.