By Obinna Uballa
Mass protests have erupted across France just a day after Sébastien Lecornu was appointed prime minister of the European country, underscoring the political turmoil engulfing Emmanuel Macron’s government.
The grassroots “Bloquons tout” (“Let’s Block Everything”) movement mobilised thousands of disgruntled citizens on Wednesday to paralyse the country, reports said, urging supporters to blockade transport hubs, public buildings, and essential services in a show of defiance against what it called France’s “messy state of affairs.”
By mid-morning, Paris police confirmed at least 75 arrests, while images showed chaotic scenes, including protesters jumping onto police cars outside the Helene Boucher high school in the capital.
Civil disobedience actions were reported in several cities, with demonstrations timed to coincide with the formal handover of power from outgoing premier François Bayrou to Lecornu, according to CNBC.
The protests mark a fiery baptism for Lecornu, a 38-year-old Macron loyalist and former defence minister who becomes France’s fifth prime minister in less than two years. His predecessor, Bayrou, resigned on Tuesday after losing a confidence vote in the National Assembly, where his unpopular 2026 budget plan, anchored on spending cuts and tax rises, was rejected.
Lecornu now faces what analysts describe as a “poisoned chalice”: leading a fragile minority government vulnerable to both far-right and far-left opposition, while financial markets and the European Union press France to rein in its soaring debt. The country’s budget deficit hit 5.8% of GDP in 2024, with public debt swelling to 113% of GDP, well above EU thresholds.
“There were no signs last night that this task will become easier,” Deutsche Bank strategists warned, noting that both the far-left and far-right are demanding snap elections, while the centre-left Socialists declared they will not support Macron’s path.
Markets offered only muted relief at Lecornu’s swift appointment. France’s CAC 40 rose 0.6% in early Wednesday trading, while 10-year bond yields dipped slightly to 3.47%. But attention now turns to Fitch’s credit rating review on Friday, with investors wary of a possible downgrade from France’s current AA- rating.
Kristoffer Kjær Lomholt, director of FX and rates strategy at Danske Bank, said Fitch may hold off until Lecornu’s new budget plan is unveiled but stressed that “a tough job awaits the new premier, gathering support for the 2026 budget, which includes significant spending cuts.”
