France: Emmanuel Macron reappoints Sébastien Lecornu to Matignon
Just four days after his resignation, Sébastien Lecornu returns to Matignon. President Emmanuel Macron reappointed him on Friday evening as Prime Minister, the Élysée announced in a laconic statement.
“The President of the Republic has appointed Mr. Sébastien Lecornu Prime Minister and tasked him with forming a government”, the presidency specified, without further comment, after long negotiations.
On Monday, when he submitted his resignation, Sébastien Lecornu had become the shortest-serving head of government of the Fifth Republic. That same day, however, Emmanuel Macron had asked him to pursue “final” discussions in an attempt to untangle the political crisis, without success.
A former Minister of the Armed Forces, a post he had held since 2022, Sébastien Lecornu has established himself as a discreet, measured man, favoring rare, controlled communication. Describing himself as a “soldier-monk”, he revealed himself to the wider public in recent days, notably during his noted appearance on Wednesday evening’s 8 p.m. news broadcast.
Aged 39, this insider, who entered right-wing politics very young, did not seem eager to prolong the Matignon experience. “I’m not running after the job,” he recently confided, considering his mission “over.” His reappointment, decided nonetheless by the head of state, already raises reservations within the presidential camp itself.
A loyal supporter of Emmanuel Macron since 2017, Lecornu has long worked in the shadows, extending his influence across successive governments. At Matignon, he had tried to open a dialogue with the socialists, without reaching an agreement.
Appointed for the first time on September 9, he had until now been sparing in public statements, limiting himself to a few quasi-military words on the steps of Matignon. In one month, however, he had managed to give, according to a socialist official, “the impression of sincerity and even of being on a kind of sacrificial mission.”
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