France: New Prime Minister promises to break with the past in the midst of violent protests
His first hours in office were marked by blockades and demonstrations, organized through social networks, which left 473 people arrested, almost half of them in Paris, according to the authorities.
Sébastien Lecornu, France's prime minister.
France's new prime minister, Sébastien Lecornu, promised on Wednesday to "break" with his predecessors as he took office as the fifth head of government since 2024, in the midst of protests against President Emmanuel Macron that left hundreds arrested.
His first hours in office were marked by blockades and demonstrations, organized through social networks, which left 473 arrested, almost half in Paris, according to authorities.
Several cities experienced clashes with police, who used tear gas to disperse protesters. In Paris, a building was set on fire possibly unintentionally during a police intervention, according to the prosecutor's office.
Lecornu, a loyal soldier
Lecornu, appointed this Tuesday as French prime minister, has held the defense portfolio for more than three years, marked by the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and is considered a loyal and discreet ally of Emmanuel Macron.
The 39-year-old politician has been one of the few faces of continuity in France's government since Macron's election in 2017, despite multiple government changes brought about by the current political instability.
In June 2017, Lecornu landed in the government, aged 31. Since then, he has held portfolios such as Ecological Transition, Territories, Overseas and Defense, under the leadership of as many as six different prime ministers.
The also former mayor of Vernon scored points with Macron by organizing the Great Debate, a tour of discussions the president held with local politicians to defuse the social protests of the "yellow vests."
A man without much charisma
In December 2024, he was already in the betting for prime minister, but then François Bayrou, who was knocked out on Monday by Parliament, persuaded the president that he was the best person for the job.
Sébastien Lecornu "is a Macron loyalist who will not overshadow him. His balance sheet in Defense is quite good," a diplomat recently stressed to AFP on condition of anonymity.
"Lecornu is the good soldier who, moreover, doesn't have too much charisma," a ministerial adviser stressed.
In 2022, Sébastien Lecornu actively animated the election campaign that led to Macron's re-election.
Sébastien Lecornu's beginnings in politics
After beginnings in which he broke records of precocity -- parliamentary assistant at the age of 19, advisor to a minister in 2008 and president of a department in 2015 -- his consecration came when he joined Macron in 2017.
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