France presents new government amid political crisis, opposition voices fierce criticism

(Patria) - French President Emmanuel Macron appointed a new government on Sunday, assembling a team of mostly familiar faces led by Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu as he struggles to pull the country out of a political crisis, AFP reported.

The new cabinet lineup was presented nearly a month after Lecornu's appointment,
Macron's seventh prime minister.

The latest prime minister risks being ousted by the opposition in a deeply divided parliament despite his efforts to gain support from all parties, with opposition leaders from the right and left furious on Sunday evening.

Bruno Le Maire, who served as economy minister from 2017 to 2024, was appointed
defence minister at an extremely sensitive time of tensions with Russia over Ukraine.
Roland Lescure, a Macron loyalist, was appointed to take over the economy portfolio, with the difficult
task of delivering an austerity budget plan for next year. But many other key
ministers retained their posts.

Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot retained his position, the
presidency announced. Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau, who has promised to crack down on illegal immigration, and Justice Minister Gerald Darmanin remained in their posts.

Rachida Dati, the culture minister who has been dogged by scandals and will face trial for corruption next year, also remained in her post.

The presidency revealed a total of eighteen names, with additional appointments to be announced later.

Opposition criticises

Far-right leader Marine Le Pen said the new cabinet lineup was "pitiful." Jordan Bardella, the thirty-year-old leader of her National Rally party, also mocked the government and
repeated the threat of censure.

"We made it clear to the prime minister - either it's a break with the past or a vote of no confidence," he said on social media platform X. Bardella said the cabinet lineup was "firmly focused on continuity and absolutely nothing on a break with the past."

Le Pen, whose party feels it has the best chance of coming to power, said she was waiting to hear Lecornu's policy speech on Tuesday before deciding on any further course of action.

Boris Vallaud, head of the Socialist deputies, accused Macron's supporters of wanting to "push France further into chaos," he wrote on X.

"They lose elections but they govern. They have no majority but they refuse compromise."

The head of the far-left France Unbowed group, Jean-Luc Mélenchon, sharply criticised what he described as a "procession of returnees" mostly from the right, which, he said, "will not last."

"The countdown to their removal has begun," he said on X.

Some opposition leaders called on Macron to call early legislative elections or even resign. Macron, who has only eighteen months left in power and faces his worst popularity ratings ever, insisted he would serve his full term.

Crisis deepens

Lecornu could be ousted by the end of next week, Mujtaba Rahman, director for Europe at risk analysis firm Eurasia Group, told AFP.

"His chances of survival are diminishing," he said.

"The mood is worsening."

Paul Taylor, a senior visiting fellow at the European Policy Centre, said French
politics is increasingly driven by "anger and emotion, not rationality."

"If Lecornu fails, I don't see much alternative to dissolution," he told AFP.

"France is stuck in such chaos until 2027, and perhaps longer."

Lecornu's two immediate predecessors, Francois Bayrou and Michel Barnier, were ousted by
parliament over France's austerity budget. France's public debt reached a record high, official data showed last week.

France's debt-to-GDP ratio is now the third highest in the European Union, after Greece and Italy, and is close to double the sixty percent allowed under European Union rules.
France has been at an impasse since Macron gambled on early elections in the middle of last year in the hope of strengthening his authority. That move backfired, as voters elected a parliament divided between three rival blocs.

By appointing Lecornu in early September, Macron opted for one of his closest allies, rather than seeking to broaden the government's appeal across the political spectrum. Over the past month, the new prime minister has held a series of consultations with centrist allies and opposition leaders from the right and left in an attempt to agree on a non-aggression pact in parliament and pass a budget.

In recent days, he announced a series of concessions, including a promise not to push his austerity budget through parliament without a vote, but opposition leaders said they wanted more.