Anticipating the censorship of Michel Barnier, the head of state is already looking for a new Prime Minister. Several names are mentioned, but that of the Minister of the Armed Forces, Sébastien Lecornu, seems to attract attention.
Regularly cited among the contenders for Matignon, Sébastien Lecornu once again appears in good shape. Nothing is official as long as Michel Barnier’s government is still in place, but while the executive should be pushed to resign by a motion of censure voted this Wednesday, December 4, Emmanuel Macron has already started prospecting to find the future Prime Minister. And this since last week according to the indiscretions of several media.
The Head of State has increased the number of physical and telephone meetings with different interlocutors playing the role of advisors to test hypotheses, and draw up a list of contenders capable of obtaining the support of a majority of deputies or failing that. to avoid a motion of censure. Among other names, Sébastien Lecornu seems to attract the attention of Emmanuel Macron.
Several times cited for Matignon
The one who has been a minister since the start of Emmanuel Macron’s first term has the CV of a political professional: parliamentary assistant at 19, mayor of Vernon at 27, president of the Eure department at 28 and propelled into government at 31 He plays his role discreetly and has climbed the government ranks from Secretary of State for Ecological Transition in 2017 to Minister of the Armed Forces in 2022. In the meantime, he has been appointed Minister Delegate. responsible for Territorial Cohesion and Minister for Overseas Territories. Longevity and successive promotions are signs of the confidence placed in him by the Head of State and of certain skills. Sébastien Lecornu has also been cited several times among the contenders for Matignon during the latest reshuffles, from the end of 2023 when the President was looking for Elisabeth Borne’s replacement.
Able to speak and negotiate with the RN?
The 38-year-old man, little known to the general public despite his position as minister, does not irritate public opinion and also seems to achieve consensus among the various oppositions. This is an undeniable strong point for a future Prime Minister who will have to succeed where Michel Barnier failed: to form a majority by ensuring the support of the Republican Right while opening dialogue with the elected representatives of the National Rally and, if possible, the socialists.
In this game, Sébastien Lecornu can do well since he comes from the right of the UMP, maintains very good relations with certain figures of the right, but also exchanges with the heads of the RN including Marine Le Pen and Jordan Bardella. The minister has already dealt with the flame party and last July Release revealed his participation in a dinner with Thierry Solère, one of Emmanuel Macron’s main advisors, in the presence of Marine Le Pen. Exchanges which prevent, a priori, the leader of the far right from reproaching a form of contempt as she did with Michel Barnier. And who suggest the possibility of holding negotiations between the minister and the MP.
The dialogue and compromises between the left and Sébastien Lecornu, however, seem less obvious, but not impossible according to those close to him. “He speaks to everyone. Even LFI recognized his method during the military programming law,” boasted a friend of the Minister of the Armed Forces to RTL.
A proximity to Macron synonymous with handicap, or not
If Sébastien Lecornu ticks many boxes, his profile suffers from one detail: he is an early Marconist who left Les Républicains to join the party of the President of the Republic in 2017. The minister has since become close to ‘Emmanuel Macron, his appointment would not allow the change in political line expected since the 2024 legislative elections.
The ballot organized after the dissolution was won by the left alliance, but what really marked these elections was the defeat of the Macronist camp and the emergence of a tripartite Assembly in which a majority struggled to form. . But one thing is certain, the presidential party has been partly disowned and placing one of its members in Matignon could be seen as a new negation of the results of the legislative elections after the appointment of Michel Barnier, whose political family only has 45 deputies. However, according to The PointEmmanuel Macron would be tempted to appoint a Prime Minister from the central bloc, and therefore from his camp.