International News
Macron Names Close Ally Lecornu New PM
French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday named defence minister and his close ally Sebastien Lecornu as the new prime minister to resolve a deepening political crisis as protests loom in the next days.
In choosing Lecornu, 39, to replace Francois Bayrou as the seventh premier of his mandate, Macron has plumped for one of his closest allies rather than seeking to broaden the appeal of the government across the spectrum.
Macron has told Lecornu “to consult the political forces represented in parliament with a view to adopting a budget for the nation and making the agreements essential for the decisions of the coming months,” the Elysee announced.
Bayrou, who survived just nine months in office, submitted his resignation to Macron earlier on Tuesday after France’s parliament ousted the government.
The formal handover of power between Bayrou and Lecornu is due to take place on Wednesday at midday.
The French president has in the past been notoriously slow in casting a new prime minister. But this time he has taken less than a day given the risk of financial and political instability.
“Emmanuel Macron is now in the front line to find a solution to the political crisis,” said the Liberation daily.
France’s borrowing costs, a measure of investor confidence, on Tuesday surged slightly higher than those for Italy, long one of Europe’s debt laggards.
“The president is convinced that (under Lecornu) an agreement between the political forces is possible, while respecting the convictions of each,” said the Elysee.
‘Vulnerable’
Bayrou had blindsided even his allies by calling a confidence vote to end a lengthy standoff over his austerity budget, which foresaw almost 44 billion euros ($52 billion) of cost savings to reduce France’s debt pile.
In the end, 364 deputies in the National Assembly voted that they had no confidence in the government, while just 194 gave it their confidence.
Bayrou was the sixth prime minister under Macron since his 2017 election, and the fifth since 2022.
His predecessor, Michel Barnier, was brought down by a no-confidence vote in December.
The crisis dates back to summer 2024 legislative elections that resulted in a hung parliament.
“Emmanuel Macron, a vulnerable president,” said the Le Monde daily.
Macron, who has been leading diplomatic efforts internationally to end Russia’s war on Ukraine, had faced one of the most critical domestic decisions of his presidency over who to appoint as premier.
Lecornu has been in his post more than three years, for most of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and is a staunch supporter of Kyiv.
He is seen as a discreet but highly skilled operator who, crucially for Macron, himself harbours no ambition of becoming president.
Lecornu had been tipped to take the job in December but in the end Bayrou reportedly strong-armed the president into giving him a chance.
‘Has the qualities’
Alongside political upheaval, France is also facing social tensions.
A left-wing collective named “Block Everything” is calling for a day of action on Wednesday and trade unions have urged workers to strike on September 18.
“I hope we can find agreements. I believe there is a possibility of building a project that satisfies what I call the national majority,” said Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau, who is also leader of the main right-wing The Republicans Party.
The 2027 presidential election meanwhile remains wide open, with analysts predicting the French far right will have its best-ever chance of winning. Macron is forbidden from standing for a third term in 2027.
The hopes of three-time presidential candidate for the far-right National Rally (RN), Marine Le Pen, depend on the outcome of an appeal hearing early next year over her conviction for a European Parliament fake jobs scam that disqualified her from standing for office.
She described Lecornu’s appointment as the “final shot of Macronism”.
The Socialist Party, which had been eyeing the prime minister’s position for itself, denounced Macron’s decision not to include them and said the president had taken the risk of provoking legitimate social anger and institutional stalemate”.
But former prime minister Edouard Philippe, who is on the centre-right, was more optimistic. Lecornu “has the qualities” to “discuss” and “find an agreement” with the other parties, he told TF1 television.
AFP
Jeremy Doku insisted Manchester “will keep on fighting” in the Premier League title race despite their “painful” draw with Everton on Monday.
City drew 3-3 with the Toffees at Hill Dickinson Stadium, with Doku scoring a 97th-minute equaliser, having also scored the opening goal.
Doku’s equaliser (96:49) is City’s third-latest goal on record (since 2006-07) in a Premier League game after John Stones’ strike against Arsenal in September 2024 (97:14) and Gabriel Jesus’ goal against Everton in February 2019 (96:52).
Doku has had a hand in six goals across his last five games for City in all competitions (four goals, two assists), as many as in his previous 22 games combined (one goal, five assists).
The Belgian also created the most chances in the match against Everton (four), completed the most dribbles (5/7) and won the most duels (14/19).
City avoided defeat in a Premier League game despite trailing by 2+ goals as late as the 82nd minute for the first time since March 2012 against Sunderland (3-3).
They went on to win the league title in 2011-12, and Doku believes City can still beat Arsenal to the trophy this season.
“First half, we played well and created a lot of chances. We know if we don’t score those chances, it is going to get difficult at the end,” said Doku.
“Obviously, they are at their own stadium, they create chances, and they are dangerous, and they scored two goals, but I think we gave them the game.
“Good that we came back because one point is not bad in games like this.
“We will see. It feels painful now. There is still a lot of games to go. We lost two points, but we know that one point can be important at the end.
“We will keep on fighting. We owe it to ourselves and to our fans.”
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Nigerians interested in repatriation from South Africa will be responsible for the cost of their return trip to Nigeria.
The ministry’s spokesperson, Kimiebi Ebienfa, stated this during a press briefing on Monday in Abuja.
The briefing came shortly after a closed-door meeting between the Ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Dunoma Ahmed, and the South African Acting High Commissioner, Lesoli Machele.
Mr Ebienfa said the process will be self-funded and not state-funded, as it is a voluntary decision that the Nigerian government will only facilitate and coordinate.
In the recent past, such reparations have been sponsored by Nigerian airline owners, particularly Allen Onyema, the CEO of Air Peace.
The Nigerian government, on Sunday, indicated its readiness to repatriate its citizens from South Africa due to xenophobic violence.
The effort primarily targets Nigerians who feel threatened by the xenophobic violence and tension in parts of South Africa, as the protests against black immigrants in the country continue. Two Nigerians were killed last month.
Since the announcement, about 130 Nigerians in South Africa have expressed a willingness to return home voluntarily.
Mr Ebienfa stated that the return of the Nigerians depends on their financial capacity, as they would be expected to fund their trip back home individually.
He said, “Those willing to leave are expected to approach the high commission and, given that their decision is voluntary, have the resources to fund their return to Nigeria.”
The government will not “provide an aircraft from Nigeria to convey them.”
He also noted that the speed of the repatriation process will be determined by the availability of funds.
“Yes, 130 as of this morning have registered, but actualisation would be required to have their flight ticket to move back to Nigeria.”
Mr Ebienfa also explained that Nigerians who have so far expressed interest are motivated either by concerns about threats to their lives or by fear of arrest by South African law enforcement agencies.
“There are two groups of Nigerians who want to come back. One group feels the country is not safe for them and wants to come. They have all their papers intact.
“Then there is also the second group that has travel document violations or resident permit violations. And instead of running away from law enforcement, they are appealing that the government facilitate their movement back to Nigeria,” he explained.
However, he noted that the process is still being worked out and that the government would step in to provide aircraft or other needed assistance if tensions rise and the situation becomes more volatile.
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