Sebastien Lecornu, the loyalist picked by President Emmanuel Macron to be France's fifth prime minister in two years, has taken office on a day of sprawling anti-government protests that underline the depth of the country's political crisis.

Lecornu, a conservative Macron protege who most recently served as his defence minister, arrived at the prime minister's residence at midday on Wednesday where he met former prime minister Francois Bayrou, who was ousted by parliament on Monday over plans to trim the country's outsized deficit.

Lecornu might then use his first speech to lay out how he will seek to reach consensus with an unruly parliament, split into three distinct ideological blocs, and pass a slimmed-down budget for 2026.

Lecornu has to send a full draft of the 2026 budget to parl

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