PARIS: Sebastien Lecornu has been reappointed as French premier by President Emmanuel Macron after resigning just four days earlier.
Lecornu is a deeply loyal ally of Macron who prides himself on behind-the-scenes negotiation skills and discretion.
The 39-year-old is one of the few politicians who has remained with Macron without interruption since the president’s 2017 election.
He served as defence minister for over three years throughout most of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Lecornu extols military values including loyalty, valour and duty in his political approach.
“I accept – out of duty – the mission entrusted to me by the president of the republic,“ he wrote on X after his reappointment.
He originally took on the nearly impossible task of prime minister when Macron appointed him in September.
Lecornu resigned less than a month later, stating the “conditions were not fulfilled” to remain in office.
Macron then gave him two days to negotiate a compromise solution to the political crisis.
The usually publicity-shy Lecornu appeared on French prime-time television news Wednesday evening.
He announced there would be no new elections for now and that a new premier would be named.
“I am a monk warrior,“ he declared during the broadcast. “This evening, my mission is complete.”
His assured, sober and straightforward performance impressed viewers frustrated by days of political drama.
Lecornu made clear he was not actively seeking the position again, saying he was “not running after” the post.
He did not explicitly rule out being reappointed despite his apparent reluctance.
“Sebastien says he doesn’t want to be reappointed, but he has no political clout,“ said a person close to Macron.
The anonymous source added that “he’ll do what the president asks” regarding the appointment.
Lecornu consistently demonstrated strong support for Ukraine during his tenure as defence minister.
He successfully expanded France’s military budget while carefully remaining in the shadows with infrequent media appearances.
One key asset for Macron is that Lecornu is not considered “presidentiable” in French political terms.
This means he does not harbour personal ambitions of winning the Elysee Palace for himself.
In his Wednesday television interview, he said no one in the cabinet should be eyeing a run in the 2027 presidential elections.
“One must always put country before party,“ he stated in his resignation speech earlier this week.
He criticised the “partisan appetites” of those who brought down his cabinet during his remarks.
Even his political opponents applauded the manner in which he had given way at the time.
Socialist leader Olivier Faure said Lecornu had resigned with “dignity and honour” during the transition.
Lecornu is “a loyal soldier who doesn’t have too much charisma or presidential potential,“ one ministerial adviser told AFP.
The adviser spoke on condition of anonymity about Lecornu’s political qualities and limitations.
A career politician, Lecornu began as a parliamentary assistant at just 19 years old.
He held ministerial posts continuously since Macron came to power in 2017.
His promotion to defence minister came in May 2022 as part of a government reshuffle.
Interested in politics from an early age, Lecornu’s ascent began with the conservative UMP party.
The UMP was former president Nicolas Sarkozy’s political vehicle during his leadership.
Lecornu became France’s youngest-ever ministerial adviser in 2008 at just 24 years old.
He joined Bruno Le Maire on the Europe brief during this early stage of his career.
Le Maire later became Macron’s long-serving finance minister in subsequent governments.
Ironically, Le Maire’s appointment as defence minister sparked the wave of anger from the right.
This conservative backlash precipitated Lecornu’s downfall as premier earlier this month.
Le Maire is seen by many as the incarnation of Macron’s budgetary policies and economic direction.
A graduate in public law rather than elite administration or business institutions, Lecornu represents a different path.
French top leaders traditionally emerge from elite schools that shape the political class.
Lecornu has made sure to maintain his local roots despite his national political responsibilities.
In 2015, he became the youngest-ever regional president of a French department.
He led Eure in Normandy after serving as mayor of his hometown Vernon in the same region.
He reached ministerial rank at 31, covering portfolios including environment and overseas territories.
His defence ministry appointment represented his most significant government position before becoming premier. – AFP