Minister of the Armed Forces Sébastien Lecornu has a good chance of being retained. If he is not unanimous behind the scenes, particularly with François Bayrou, his relations with Emmanuel Macron should weigh.
First considered for Matignon, Sébastien Lecornu should ultimately keep his place as Minister of the Armed Forces. The appointment of the future government team could take place this Monday, December 23, 2024, but “not before 6 p.m.”, as indicated by the Elysée today. A timing that would allow François Bayrou to respect his objective of forming his executive “before Christmas”, as hoped.
François Bayrou’s government should unsurprisingly include members of the MoDem as well as Macronists. As a Renaissance member, the path is not closed, far from it, for the resigning Minister of the Armed Forces. 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 office 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.
The name of the discord between Macron and Bayrou
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 had been 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.