While his name had been mentioned for Matignon, Sébastien Lecornu could be reappointed to the Ministry of the Armed Forces thanks to the support of Emmanuel Macron.
Sébastien Lecornu is currently resigned Minister of the Armed Forces. He has been in office since May 2022. After the motion of censure voted against the Barnier government, his name was mentioned as a possible future Prime Minister. Emmanuel Macron ultimately preferred François Bayrou, who is currently consulting to form a new government. It should be unveiled “before Christmas” according to the new Prime Minister.
Will Sébastien Lecornu then keep his position? François Bayrou’s government should unsurprisingly include members of the MoDem as well as Macronists. As a Renaissance member, the path is therefore not closed for the resigning minister. The Ensemble MP and former government spokesperson, Prisca Thevenot, also invited, at the microphone of LCI this Friday, December 20, to “stability” of the executive with “continuity of files”. “This is why Sébastien Lecornu was reappointed several times,” she declared, seeming to imply that he should be kept in post again. Chosen under the Borne government, he has already been reappointed under Gabriel Attal then under Michel Barnier. François Bayrou also said he wanted a team of “heavyweights” with “experienced personalities at the helm”, according to BFMTV.
A name that divides within the executive
However, François Bayrou would not be a great supporter of Sébastien Lecornu, unlike Emmanuel Macron. “François Bayrou would have liked to part with it. But it is the reserved domain of the President of the Republic. He will not make a tragedy of it,” assured a government source to BFMTV. As reported Public Senatethe mayor of Pau had already estimated, when the name of Sébastien Lecornu was mentioned for Matignon, that such a decision would have been a “casus belli” or “an act likely to motivate a declaration of war”.
Conversely, Sébastien Lecornu seems greatly supported by Emmanuel Macron. Working closely with the president over the years, Sébastien Lecornu has established a true professional relationship with the head of state centered on trust. The minister has become a key figure in Macronie, it is said. Committed to the right, to the UMP then to Les Républicains, Sébastien Lecornu notably used his experience as a local elected official. It was he who accompanied the Head of State during the major debate organized in response to the yellow vest crisis. At that time he was Minister of Local Authorities.