AMN
French President Emmanuel Macron has appointed the former defense minister, Sebastien Lecornu, as the new prime minister following the resignation of the Cabinet.
The previous prime minister, Francois Bayrou, and his Cabinet stepped down after he lost a confidence vote in the lower house of parliament.
This marks the fourth change of prime minister in France since January last year.
Macron named Lecornu to the post on Tuesday. The 39-year-old is seen as one of Macron’s loyalists, though he once belonged to a right-wing party.
Local media reported that Lecornu was the candidate least opposed by lawmakers from right-wing and far-right parties. They have a certain degree of influence in the legislature, as the country has been run by a minority government.
Lecornu is expected to begin talks with different parties to rally support for next fiscal year’s budget plan.
The task may not be easy, as Bayrou and his Cabinet were forced to resign after his financial reconstruction plan failed to win backing from opposition parties.