New French Government Unveiled
The Élysée Palace revealed the new government lineup on Sunday evening, led by Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu.
Key Features of the New Government
- The cabinet consists of 34 ministers, with 17 women.
- The new team is a mix of civil society members with experienced profiles and young parliamentarians, as emphasized by Lecornu's entourage.
- Notable changes include the departure of high-profile politicians such as:
- Former Interior Minister and President of "Les Républicains" (LR) Bruno Retailleau, replaced by Laurent Nuñez, the Paris police prefect.
- Former Prime Minister and Education Minister Elisabeth Borne, who has been succeeded by Edouard Geffray.
- Former Prime Minister and Overseas Minister Manuel Valls, who has been replaced by Franco-Moroccan Naima Moutchou.
Ministers Retained or Reassigned
- Jean Noël Barrot remains in charge of Diplomacy.
- Gérald Darmanin retains his position at the Justice Department.
- Rachida Dati has been reappointed as Minister of Culture.
- Sébastien Lecornu has kept his Economy Minister, Roland Lescure, to ensure continuity, as the 2026 budget is set to be presented on Monday and adopted before the end of the year.
- Annie Genevard remains the Minister of Agriculture.
- Other ministers from the previous government have retained their portfolios or been reassigned, including:
- Catherine Vautrin, who will now oversee Defense.
- Benjamin Haddad, who remains in charge of European affairs.
- Aurore Bergé, who will focus on equality between women and men, and combating discrimination.
Background
The consultations accelerated over the weekend to give France a new government and break the political deadlock of the past few days. This followed the resignation of Sébastien Lecornu last Monday due to disagreements with parties, and the resignation of his predecessor, François Bayrou, a month ago after a vote of no confidence in the National Assembly.
