Macron Appoints Ally Lecornu as France’s New Prime Minister

President Emmanuel Macron named Sebastien Lecornu France’s new prime minister, tapping a longtime ally to pick up the mantle of trying to pass a budget through a divided parliament.

Lecornu, who served as defense minister in the previous cabinet, will become the country’s fifth prime minister in two years. The last two premiers were ousted after trying to pass budgets that would sharply reduce France’s deficit, the widest in the euro area.