France’s Macron unveils a new government before the budget deadline Politics news

The new government led by Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu must present the draft 2026 budget on Monday.

French President Emmanuel Macron unveiled a new government after holding marathon talks with reappointed Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu ahead of a fast-approaching deadline to submit next year’s budget to parliament.

In the new Lecorno government, Jean-Noel Barrot remains Foreign Minister, while outgoing Labor Minister Catherine Vautrin takes over the Defense portfolio, according to a lineup published by the president’s office on Sunday.

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In a post on the website

“I would like to thank the women and men who have committed freely to this government, putting personal and partisan interests aside. Only one thing matters: the interests of the country.”

Macron Lecorno was returned Late Friday, just four days after The Prime Minister had resigned With the collapse of his first government, which led to intense anger and pledges from opponents to topple any new government at the first opportunity.

The former defense minister was tasked with forming the government to present the draft 2026 budget on Monday, giving Parliament a constitutional deadline of 70 days to scrutinize the plan before the end of the year.

But the right-wing Republicans, a key political ally, complicated matters on Saturday by announcing that the party would not participate in the new government but would only cooperate on a “bill-by-bill” basis.

Other allied and rival parties battled throughout the weekend over whether to join Licorno’s new government or vote to oust it.

The Prime Minister had pledged to work with all major political movements and select cabinet members “who are not imprisoned by parties.”

Lecornu, a Macron loyalist, agreed after his resignation to remain in office for two additional days to speak with all political parties.

He told the French weekly newspaper La Tribune that he resigned “because the conditions were no longer met,” and said he would do so again if the situation remained as it was.

The French president is facing the worst internal crisis since the beginning of his presidency in 2017, and has not yet addressed the public since the fall of the first Lecornu government.

Macron is scheduled to travel on Monday to Egypt to support the US-brokered Gaza ceasefire agreement, a trip that could delay the submission of the draft budget.

Lecornu’s reappointment comes as France faces a political and parliamentary deadlock over an austerity budget against the backdrop of rising public debt.

The country is facing pressure from the European Union to rein in deficits and debt, as a struggle over cost-cutting measures led to the ouster of the previous two presidents, Lecorno.

Lecornu pledged to do “everything possible” to give France a budget by the end of the year, saying restoring public finances was a “priority” for the future.

But he is under pressure from parties across the political spectrum, including the Socialists, who have threatened to bring down his government unless he backs down from the 2023 pension reform that raised the retirement age from 62 to 64.

Lecorno said on Saturday that “all discussions are possible” on pension reforms, and that his “only ambition is to get out of this painful situation for everyone.”

If Lecornu fails to get parliamentary support, France will need temporary stopgap legislation to allow spending from January 1 until the full budget is approved.

French politics have reached a dead end since the Macron era Last year they bet on early opinion polls Which he hoped would consolidate power, but instead ended in a hung parliament and more seats for the far right.