Macron’s New Premier Faces Protests on First Day in Office

Sebastien Lecornu will become prime minister of France Wednesday amid mass protests, underscoring the daunting task that awaits him as he tries to push through unpopular budget reforms.

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.