Sébastien Lecornu's second cabinet in a week includes several members who served in previous governments, but the Prime Minister is placing his bets on civil society representatives.

Paris

French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu has assembled a new government featuring several 'technical ministers' drawn from civil society, such as former police chief Laurent Nunez as interior minister and ex-railways boss Jean-Pierre Farandou as labour minister. This approach aims to leverage expertise from outside traditional political circles, but has raised concerns about the ministers' familiarity with government operations.

The new cabinet consists of 34 ministers from six different parties, reflecting a broad coalition. However, the strategy has led to political friction, including two motions of no confidence and dissent within the Republicans party, as some members accepted ministerial roles against party leadership's wishes. Lecornu has also reinstated 12 previous ministers, maintaining continuity in key posts.

Sébastien Lecornu bets on a government of technical ministers

The former head of Parisian police, Laurent Nunez, has made his first official public appearances as France's new minister of the interior. He is just one of a number of so-called technical ministers appointed by Sébastien Lecornu in his latest political gambit. The prime minister is placing his bets on civil society. Other examples include the former boss of French Railways, Jean-Pierre Farandou, now Labour minister, or Serge Papin, a former supermarket executive, now minister of purchasing power. But this strategy could be dangerous. Attempts to include civil society often struggle because ministers have good intentions but they do not understand how the system works. Two motions of no confidence have already been filed, which will further destabilise the fragile equilibrium of the new government, which has 34 ministers from six different parties. 11 from the Renaissance group, six from the Republicans, four from the democratic movement, three from Horizons, one from the Union of Democrats and Independents, and one from the Lyot group. Pressure is now on Bruno Retailleau and the Republicans party, as six of his party members have gone against his orders and accepted roles in the Lecornu government. Six people have defied your instructions. Can you understand them, knowing that you were part of Macron's government not that long ago? Listen, I don't want to answer these types of questions today. Lecornu has also reinstated 12 ministers, like Gérald Darmanin as Minister of Justice or Rachida Dati at the Ministry of Culture.

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