Boris Vallaud, a key Socialist Party leader, reacted with skepticism on FranceInfo immediately after the announcement and noted that Lecornu had not renounced other constitutional provisions that allow the government to interrupt legislative debates.
The Socialists aren’t the only ones in need of convincing.
Lecornu had hoped to form a government with the same minority coalition — made up of parties supporting President Emmanuel Macron and the conservative Les Républicains — that backed his two fallen predecessors, Barnier and the centrist François Bayrou.
However, Les Républicains president and outgoing Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau cast doubt on his party’s participation in Lecornu’s government, which the prime minister is expected to form in the coming days.
“At this stage, the participation of the right wing in the government is by no means certain,” Retailleau told conservative daily Le Figaro.
Les Républicains had submitted a coalition agreement to Lecornu including requests to toughen France’s immigration policy. The proposed agreement, first reported by POLITICO, included Lecornu giving Retailleau — as interior minister — full control over visa issuance and limiting access to medical care for undocumented people.