The new French prime minister, Sébastien Lecornu, has promised a “profound break” with past politics as he took over from the unpopular centrist François Bayrou, who was ousted this week over a proposed budget squeeze, reports The Guardian.
Lecornu, 39, who said “humility” was the key approach, now faces the difficult task of gaining enough support from France’s divided parliament to pass a budget if he is to avoid being swiftly ousted in the same way as Bayrou, and before him, the rightwing Michel Barnier, who only lasted three months.
“We will get there … no path is impossible,” Lecornu said on Wednesday.
Lecornu is the third French prime minister in only one year as the country has gone through a period of instability and political crisis since the centrist president, Emmanuel Macron, called an inconclusive snap election last year.
The parliament remains divided between the three blocs: the left, the far right and the centre, with no clear majority. A budget for next year must be agreed within the coming weeks, even though the political parties are at loggerheads.
Lecornu, who as defence minister for the past three years was known for his work on increasing French military spending, said: “We are going to have to change, be more creative and serious in our way of working with the opposition.” He said there must be deep changes to working methods, but also to the substance of politics.
Read more of this report from The Guardian.