T
he "weakest prime minister of the Fifth Republic" remains in office. Five months after using these words to sum up the tenuousness of his position, French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu has made it through the budget ordeal and can now look ahead. On Saturday, February 7, the fifth head of government during President Emmanuel Macron's second term gave an interview to several regional newspapers. He outlined his roadmap for 2026.
Lacking a majority and with no budgetary leeway, Lecornu is under constant threat of political maneuvering. He wants to prove that he can bring initiatives to fruition, such as a new phase of decentralization, the presentation of the military multiyear budget planning bill to the Assemblée Nationale in April, with a €6.7 billion budget increase, and the publication by decree of the multiyear energy program at the end of the week. He is right to try. In the face of global instability and mounting tensions, France cannot afford to be paralyzed again, as it was during the debates on the budget bill. However, this government faces an immense challenge, as it is fragile and constrained on all sides.
Subscribers only
With a budget in reach, what next for French PM Lecornu?
