UPDATE - France's new prime minister takes office

ADDS OPPOSITION REACTION

By Ilayda Cakirtekin

ISTANBUL (AA) - France’s new Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu assumed office Wednesday in a handover ceremony with the outgoing premier, who resigned after losing a confidence vote.

After being appointed Tuesday by President Emmanuel Macron, Lecornu, the former minister of the Armed Forces, took office in a handover ceremony with outgoing Premier Francois Bayrou.

"I will, and I am sure, that the entire team around me will do with me everything we can to help the government … My help and our help are assured to you at all times, during the weeks and months to come," Bayrou said before handing duties to Lecornu.

Lecornu, for his part, saluted Bayrou's "extraordinary courage" in defending his convictions till the last minute, voicing his belief that "all of this will be recognized" one day.

"We will succeed, because deep down ... there is no other possible path. We must manage, in essence, to put an end to this double gap: the gap between the political situation and what our citizens legitimately expect for their daily lives, for the economic and social situation, for their security," Lecornu further said.

He also reiterated the need for a change in the way they work with their opponents through a more creative, technical and serious approach.

In the meantime, Manuel Bompard, national coordinator of the left-wing party La France Insoumise (LFI), urged Lecornu to request, like Bayrou, a vote of confidence to "follow democratic and republican practices," according to broadcaster BFM TV.

He noted that a motion of censure will be tabled at the first session of the National Assembly if he does not request a confidence vote.

"I believe I have heard very cold reactions to this nomination from the Communist and Green parties. We will propose to the other left-wing MPs that they table this motion of censure," said Bompard.

Far-right National Rally party leader Jordan Bardella also criticized the appointment of Lecornu during a speech in the European Parliament, stressing that he will have to compromise.

"Either there is a break, or there will be censure," said Bardella.

Lecornu takes office after Prime Minister Francois Bayrou lost a confidence vote in the National Assembly on Monday.

He is the only minister to have served continuously in government since Macron came to power in 2017.

At 39 years old, he has notably held the positions of secretary of state to the minister of ecological and inclusive transition, minister delegate in charge of local authorities, and minister of overseas territories, before taking over as minister of the armed forces.

The outgoing premier, who unveiled a 2026 budget framework in July, was seeking support for a plan to save nearly €44 billion ($51 billion) as part of efforts to reduce France’s soaring public debt, now at 113% of its GDP.

However, he received 194 votes in support and 364 votes against, failing to obtain a majority in the parliament, where 15 of the 589 deputies abstained.

France also has one of the EU's largest budget deficits at 5.8%.

Budget negotiations have been a major source of tension in French politics.

The failure to reach an agreement on the 2025 budget last year led to the collapse of the Michel Barnier government in December, after left-wing and far-right parties united behind a no-confidence motion.