French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu sent a three-page "government roadmap" overnight from Saturday, October 4 to Sunday, October 5, to the leaders of the "common foundation" – a loose alliance of center and conservative political parties. These include Renaissance (President Emmanuel Macron's party), Les Républicains (LR, conservatives), MoDem (centrists), Horizons (center-right) and Union des démocrates et indépendants (center-right). In the document, first published by BFM-TV and also obtained by Le Monde, Lecornu urged these parties to "unite" around several priorities despite their "differences."
"While remaining true to our values and acknowledging our differences, we have agreed on a roadmap that brings us together," wrote the prime minister in this letter to the leaders of Macron's party and LR.
As Lecornu continues to fine-tune the structure of his future government on Sunday, it remains uncertain whether LR will be a part of it. The conservative party, led by outgoing Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau, has been increasing pressure in recent days, lamenting that some of its demands, particularly on immigration, are not being heard.
LR lawmakers, who had been awaiting the prime minister's letter, were set to meet at noon on Sunday to determine their position. "We will make that decision today," said the party's deputy vice president, François-Xavier Bellamy. While Bellamy did not explicitly confirm whether LR will participate in the new government, he appeared open to the idea, arguing that the "duty" of the right was "to prevent the Nouveau Front Populaire [a left-wing alliance] from becoming the largest parliamentary group" in the Assemblée Nationale. MoDem, which also sent a letter to Lecornu on Saturday, planned to meet at 2 pm on Sunday to discuss a response.
In his letter, Lecornu outlined the main policy directions he intended to pursue, with the top priority being "to provide France with a budget for 2026 to ensure the country's stability," a task for which "the support of the common foundation is an indispensable prerequisite." "With only a very narrow majority, the government will have to make compromises with other political parties, without abandoning its convictions," the prime minister also emphasized.
He insisted that "under no circumstances will this be an austerity budget or a rollback of social protections." He advocated for focusing budgetary efforts "primarily on reducing public spending," while responding "to the demand for fiscal justice expressed by our fellow citizens." Some taxes "must be reduced to support household purchasing power and business competitiveness," he added. This budget "must strengthen growth and employment, as well as the tools to protect our sovereignty and independence," the prime minister wrote.
"Committed to defending" the French "social model," Lecornu referenced investments in pensions (an increase of €6 billion) and healthcare (€5 billion).
He also said he intended to present "in the coming days" a bill to combat tax and social security fraud – a proposal that had already been prepared under his predecessor, François Bayrou – and which is expected to generate an additional €2.3 billion in revenue.
Addressing LR in particular, he affirmed that "everyday security and the fight against antisocial behavior will remain top priorities," along with the fight "against irregular immigration through the implementation of technical and effective solutions."
"In a complex and destabilized world," the prime minister also said his intention to continue "decarbonizing our economy and our energy mix in order to combat climate change and end our dependence on foreign sources," and to maintain "major efforts to rearm the country, by updating the impact of the military programming law."
This roadmap is "by definition incomplete," the prime minister further noted, as he is set to deliver his government policy statement to the Assemblée Nationale on Tuesday afternoon. By then, Lecornu will have formed his government, which is expected to be streamlined to around 25 members.
Translation of an original article published in French on lemonde.fr; the publisher may only be liable for the French version.