Defense Minister Is France's Latest PM

French President Emmanuel Macron has appointed Defense Minister Sébastien Lecornu as France's new prime minister, the country's fourth in about a year. Lecornu, 39, is the youngest defense minister in French history and the architect of a major military buildup through 2030, spurred by Russia's war in Ukraine.

• A former conservative who joined Macron's centrist movement in 2017, he has held posts in local governments, overseas territories, and during Macron's "great debate" response to the yellow vest protest movement, where he helped manage mass anger with dialogue, the AP reports. He also offered talks on autonomy during unrest in Guadeloupe in 2021.

• His rise reflects Macron's instinct to reward loyalty, but also the need for continuity as repeated budget showdowns have toppled his predecessors and left France in drift.
• Legislators toppled Lecornu's predecessor Francois Bayrou and his minority government in a no-confidence vote on Monday, a new crisis for Europe's second-largest economy. Bayrou gambled that lawmakers would back his view that France must slash public spending to rein in its huge debts. Instead, they seized on the vote to gang up against the 74-year-old centrist who was appointed by Macron last December.
• Lecornu is the seventh prime minister appointed by Macron since he was elected in 2017, and the fifth since 2022, Le Monde reports. One of the prime ministers appointed after an election left the country with a hung parliament last summer lasted just 91 days.
• France24 reports that Macron's search for a new prime minister was overshadowed by impeding protests. The "Bloquons Tout"—Block Everything—movement has called for nationwide strikes and protests Wednesday.