France’s Prime Minister, Sebastien Lecornu, has appointed Roland Lescure, a long-time ally of President Emmanuel Macron, as the country’s new finance minister in a cabinet reshuffle that retains several familiar faces from the previous administration.
Lescure, who has been a steadfast supporter of Macron since his 2017 presidential campaign, previously held ties to the Socialist Party. His appointment is widely interpreted as a strategic move to appeal to the left as France heads into tough budget negotiations among deeply divided political blocs. Macron’s centrist minority, the far right, and the left.
The new appointment comes amid a budget crisis, with parliament rejecting previous efforts to curb France’s soaring public deficit the highest in the eurozone. Former finance ministers Francois Bayrou and Michel Barnier both lost their positions over similar fiscal disputes.
“This is Bayrou’s government without Bayrou, and will implement the same policies,” said hard-left lawmaker Eric Coquerel, speaking to BFM TV.
In another major shift, Bruno Le Maire, France’s former finance minister who led the country’s “whatever it takes” COVID-19 response, has been named defence minister. His new role will focus on shaping Europe’s security policy amid growing pressure from the United States for the EU to take on more responsibility in supporting Ukraine.
Far-right leader Marine Le Pen sharply criticized the reshuffle, calling it “pathetic” and describing the government as “identical, but with the man who bankrupted France.”
