Former defense minister becomes the new PM of France

President of France Emmanuel Macron has appointed Sébastien Lecornu, who previously headed the country's defense ministry, as the new prime minister. This was reported in the administration of the French leader, the Élysée palace, reports le Monde newspaper.

The appointment came a few hours after former Prime Minister François Bayrou tendered his resignation to the president.

Lecorneuil has been the head of the French Ministry of the Armed Forces (analogous to the Ministry of Defense) since 2022. He is now the fifth prime minister since Macron's re-election almost three and a half years ago.

"[First of all, Macron] instructed him to consult with the political forces represented in parliament in order to adopt a budget for the country and conclude the agreements necessary for decision-making in the coming months," the Élysée palace said.

They added that after these discussions, the PM will have to propose a new government to the French president.

• In July, Lecornu noted that for France, an absolute "red line" in the issue of resolving the war is the demilitarization of Ukraine.

• On September 8, the French parliament did not support the vote of confidence in the then-PM Bayrou: it IS the first case in the history of the fifth republic, when the government resigns after such a vote.