A first trip focused on healthcare, followed by an interview with the regional daily press: By adhering to the conventions of prime ministerial communication on Saturday, September 13, newly-appointed Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu exposed himself to the political, budgetary and social headwinds that have defined his first days in the position. To stay the course, Lecornu, the former armed forces minister, has outlined the tight course he aims to follow. "I want neither instability nor paralysis," he declared.

Above all, Lecornu insisted on the differences between him and his predecessor, François Bayrou. To symbolize them, he announced that he would abandon a plan to cut two public holidays, a flagship measure of the budget plan championed by his centrist predecessor. "I want those who work to be spared," said Lecornu.

This perhaps overlooks where the measure to cut the holidays, which proved so fatal for Bayrou, originally came from. Behind closed doors, at a July 7 defense council meeting, it was President Emmanuel Macron himself who suggested to Bayrou that two public holidays be eliminated, mainly to offset the additional €3.5 billion in defense spending planned for 2026. "I'll take it up for the budget!" Bayrou quickly agreed, later proposing to target Easter Monday and May 8. Amid the wave of public outcry the measure provoked, Bayrou endlessly lamented, right up until his fall, that the debate on his plan for €44 billion in budgetary efforts had been overshadowed by the measure, a presidential goal that he had nonetheless endorsed.

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