French presidency unveils new cabinet as budget pressure intensifies

Paris: The French presidency announced Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu's new cabinet line-up on Sunday, with most top jobs remaining unchanged at a time when opponents are demanding a political shift to win their support for urgent budget talks.

Lecornu, who was reappointed prime minister last week after a previous stint that lasted just 27 days, had pledged to deliver a cabinet of "renewal and diversity," but stuck with his previous picks for most of the choice jobs.

It remains to be seen if Lecornu's new cabinet will satisfy opponents. The hard-left France Unbowed (LFI) has said it will file a motion of no confidence on Monday, as did the far-right National Rally, meaning the new government will face a nail-biting vote before the end of the week.

Meanwhile the Socialists - whose support the government would almost certainly need to survive such a vote - are keeping their options open.

"No comment," Socialist party leader Olivier Faure wrote on X after the government's announcement.

Lecornu, whose last cabinet lasted just 14 hours, reappointed Roland Lescure, a close ally of President Emmanuel Macron, as finance minister. The government must formally present a budget in the coming days that faces a perilous path through a deeply divided parliament, where many have now set their sights on the contest to succeed Macron in 2027.

Lecornu also kept Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot and Justice Minister Gerald Darmanin in their posts.

"A single imperative guides my decisions: to serve my country and the French people," Darmanin posted on X. "Without renouncing any of my convictions, I am therefore taking leave from all partisan activity."

The most notable change to the ministerial picks was incoming Interior Minister Laurent Nunez, head of the Paris police, who replaces Bruno Retailleau, leader of the conservative Republicans Party and who harbours his own presidential ambitions.

Nunez is a graduate of the elite École Nationale d'Administration, and has held key positions across the French security apparatus, including head of the domestic intelligence agency DGSI. Last year, he kept Paris safe during the Olympics.

Former Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne lost her job as education minister, replaced by civil servant Edouard Geffray.

Catherine Vautrin, a veteran of the centre-right, replaced Lecornu as defense minister. She was previously labour minister in former Prime Minister Francois Bayrou's government, and also served as a minister under former President Jacques Chirac.

Budget Presentation looms

Lecornu met with Macron to hash out the list on Sunday evening, two days after his reappointment as prime minister and in the midst of France's worst political crisis in decades.

BFM TV reported Macron wanted a government named before he left for Egypt late on Sunday to attend a meeting to end the war in Gaza

.The president's office says the budget proposal must be ready by Wednesday to comply with constitutional deadlines. Having a cabinet in place is a formal precondition for presenting a budget.

France has been mired in crisis as a series of minority governments struggle to pass deficit-reduction measures through a truculent parliament, split between three ideological blocs.

In a sign of the volatility gripping French politics, Lecornu said on Sunday he would not rule out resigning again.

"If the conditions were no longer met again, I'd leave," he told La Tribune Dimanche. "I'm not going to just go along with whatever."

Pensions and Wealth Tax Remain Key Issues

The Socialists want Lecornu to repeal Macron's pension reform and roll out a wealth tax, proposals the right refuses to countenance.

Lecornu signalled potential flexibility on the pensions issue on Saturday, saying "all debates are possible as long as they are realistic."

If he fails to secure parliamentary support, France would need emergency stop-gap legislation to authorise spending from January 1 until a full budget is adopted.