France’s new prime minister, Sébastien Lecornu, has abandoned a proposal from his predecessor to cut back two public holidays as part of efforts to shrink the national deficit.
Reacting to Fitch Ratings’ downgrade of France’s credit grade to A+—its lowest ever—Lecornu told Ouest France on Saturday, “We are paying for the instability.”
Appointed on September 10th to replace François Bayrou, who was ousted in a confidence vote over his 44-billion-euro austerity plan, Lecornu has pledged to find ‘creative ways’ to push through the 2026 budget. He also promised to chart a fresh course while cooperating with rivals in a divided parliament.
“With 210 deputies, the socle commun [the coalition of centrist and center-right parties aligned with Macron’s Ensemble alliance] is the primary political platform in the National Assembly, and it has an absolute majority in the Senate. Before discussing with the opposition, we first need clarity within this common core,” he said.
Lecornu also said he will start consultations to craft a plan for decentralization already next week, saying, “Too many actors are involved in the same issues, while there is only one taxpayer who pays for it all. … when we know who is in charge, we know who to hold accountable.”
