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Lecornu starts with a crisis of trust: protests and resistance in the country!
New Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu faces major challenges: building trust and massive protests against pension reform.
Lecornu starts with a crisis of trust: protests and resistance in the country!
On September 10, 2025, Sébastien Lecornu was introduced as France's new Prime Minister, and right from the start he faces massive challenges. This reports Le Monde. Lecornu, who emphasizes that he wants to strive for a “rupture” in the political approach, remains tight-lipped about his exact plans. He would first like to obtain the opinions of the various political and trade union actors before announcing concrete steps.
His main focus is on rebuilding trust and passing a compromise budget by December 31st. But the situation is anything but easy. The new prime minister received a first setback on September 11th when the CFDT union declared that it did not want to resume discussions about the controversial pension reform, which was intended to raise the retirement age to 64 under Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne. The CFDT is even calling for the suspension of this reform because it cannot imagine solid solutions based on a failed dialogue.
Protests and unrest in France
On the day he took office, there were nationwide protests with around 200,000 participants Le Republicain Lorrain reported. The Minister of the Interior, Bruno Retailleau, described this mobilization as “important”. Across France, 550 meetings and 262 blockades were registered, which did not cause major disruption to rail traffic, but were accompanied by “malicious acts”. In Paris, for example, the Châtelet-Les Halles shopping center was closed. There were tear gas incidents and arrests, with a total of 473 people taken into custody.
Violence escalated in some cities, including a fire in Paris that may have been caused by police intervention. There were also significant riots in Rennes, where a bus was damaged and set on fire by demonstrators.
Political disputes and votes of no confidence
At the same time, left-wing and right-wing extremist opposition parties are raising their voices and threatening votes of no confidence. Jordan Bardella, the president of the extreme right, was critical of Lecornu and warned of an unstable political situation. The government, according to many observers, is in a constant state of flux, even as it promises to make fundamental changes in its approach.
In the wake of the protests, several cities have intensified their discussions about future actions and the Intersyndical, supported by CGT and Solidaires, has scheduled a strike for September 18th. Given this tense situation, Lecornu is faced with the challenge of both realizing his own political visions and taking the concerns and fears of the population seriously in order to create sustainable coexistence in France.
The new prime minister is expected to develop a keen sense of the political winds and make the right decisions to smooth things over and regain trust in the government. A Herculean task that requires a lot of skill.