At the head of the Armed Forces since May 2022, Sébastien Lecornu, close to Emmanuel Macron, would like to keep his position in the new government of Michel Barnier.
“In a democracy, no one owns power and therefore their function.” Sébastien Lecornu does not yet know if he will keep his position at the Ministry of the Armed Forces in Michel Barnier’s new government, but the latest trends are leaning towards keeping this close friend of Emmanuel Macron, according to The ParisianA handful of members of the outgoing team are expected to return to Michel Barnier’s executive, which could be announced on Saturday 21 or Sunday 22 September.
Although he has always been considered an option for the future government, Sébastien Cornu was not the only one in the running. The position was offered by Michel Barnier to a former figure of Macron’s party, Elisabeth Borne, who refused, according to information from Point. A sign of a desire for change in this ministry on the part of the new Prime Minister? Or an attempt to impose his preference for a portfolio that falls within one of the reserved areas of the President of the Republic.
In an interview with the Parisianon July 13, Sébastien Lecornu defended his record. “For two years, I have built relationships and, apart from my American and Spanish counterparts, all the defense ministers have been renewed in two years,” said the man who would like to keep the position he has held since Emmanuel Macron’s re-election in 2022.
Sébastien Lecornu’s wish to keep his position as minister could come true according to the leaks circulating since the meeting between Michele Barnier and Emmanuel Macron organized on Thursday, September 19. The politician could however be accompanied by an LR member, in the person of the Seine-et-Marne MP Jean-Louis Thiériot, at the Defense.
The ministerial candidate supported by Emmanuel Macron
Working closely with Emmanuel Macron over the years, Sébastien Lecornu and the Head of State have established a genuine professional relationship based on trust. The minister has become a key figure for the Head of State. Committed to the right, in the UMP and then in Les Républicains, Sébastien Lecornu has used his experience as a local elected official. He was the one 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.
According to Le Monde, in 2020, the President of the Republic attached great importance to the work of Sébastien Lecornu, then Minister of Overseas Territories. “I am in daily telephone contact with the President of the Republic,” the minister had notably said. A proximity that embarrasses the executive and which earned him some criticism. According to l’Express, in July 2022, some members of the government viewed the proximity between Sébastien Lecornu and Emmanuel Macron with a jaundiced eye.