France's outgoing Prime Minister Francois Bayrou waves to guests as he is escorted towards the exit by France's newly appointed Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu at the end of the handover ceremony at the Hotel Matignon in Paris.
Paris: New French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu told French daily La Provence on Saturday that he was dropping a proposal by his predecessor to cut back two public holidays as part of budget measures aimed at reducing the deficit.
Reacting to news that credit rating agency Fitch had downgraded France's sovereign credit score to A+ on Friday - the country's lowest level on record - Lecornu was quoted as saying: "We are paying for the instability."
Fitch's decision piles pressure on Lecornu just days into the job as he scrambles to form a cabinet and draft a 2026 budget that can pass a deeply divided parliament.