Prime Minister of theFrench RepublicPremier ministre de la République françaiseEmblem of the French RepublicFlag of FranceIncumbentSébastien Lecornusince 9 September 2025Council of Ministers of the French RepublicGovernment of FranceStyleMr. Prime Minister (informal)His Excellency (diplomatic)StatusHead of governmentMember ofCouncil of MinistersCouncil of StateNational Defence and Security CouncilReports toPresidentParliamentResidenceHôtel MatignonSeatParis, FranceAppointerPresidentTerm lengthAt the president's pleasure, contingent on the officeholder ability to command parliamentary confidenceConstituting instrumentConstitution of FrancePrecursorSeveral titles were used since the Ancien RégimeInaugural holderCharles Maurice de Talleyrand-PérigordFormation9 July 1815; 210 years ago (1815-07-09)Salary€178,920 annually[1]Websitewww.gouvernement.fr This article is part of a series onPolitics of France Constitutions Fifth Republic Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen Executive President (list) Emmanuel Macron (RE) Prime Minister (list) Sébastien Lecornu (RE) Government Bayrou Legislature National Assembly: Membership President: Yaël Braun-Pivet Senate President: Gérard Larcher Congress of the French Parliament Judiciary Constitutional Council Council of State Court of Cassation Court of Audit Cour de Justice de la République Administrative divisions Regions Metropolitan regions Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Bourgogne-Franche-Comté Brittany Centre-Val de Loire Corsica Grand Est Hauts-de-France Île-de-France Normandy Nouvelle-Aquitaine Occitania Pays de la Loire Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Overseas regions French Guiana Guadeloupe Martinique Mayotte Réunion Overseas country French Polynesia Departments Elections Referendums Presidential Legislative Senate Municipal Political parties Foreign relations Africa Americas Asia France and the United Nations Foreign alliances Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs Politics of the European Union Related topics Centrism Human rights Political scandals France portal Other countries vte
The prime minister of France (French: Premier ministre français[note 1]), officially the prime minister of the French Republic (Premier ministre de la République française[note 2]), is the nominal head of government of the French Republic and leader of its Council of Ministers, although the officeholder does not chair its meetings, as the president does.
The prime minister is the holder of the second-highest office in France, after the president of France. The president appoints the prime minister but cannot dismiss them, only request their resignation. The Government of France, including the prime minister, can be dismissed by the National Assembly. Upon appointment, the prime minister proposes a list of ministers to the president. Decrees and decisions signed by the prime minister, like almost all executive decisions, are subject to the oversight of the administrative court system. Some decrees are taken after advice from the Council of State (Conseil d'État), over which the prime minister is entitled to preside. Ministers defend the programmes of their ministries to the prime minister, who makes budgetary choices. The extent to which those decisions lie with the prime minister or president often depends upon whether they are of the same political party and whether it holds a majority in the National Assembly. If so, the president may serve as both the head of state and de facto head of government, while the prime minister serves as his deputy, acting as a link between the legislature and the executive.
The current prime minister of France is Sébastien Lecornu who was appointed on 9 September 2025 and resigned on 6 October 2025, but was re-appointed on 10 October.[2][3]
Nomination[edit]The prime minister is appointed by the president of France, who is theoretically free to pick anyone for the post.[4] In practice, because the National Assembly has the power to force the resignation of the government by adopting a motion of no confidence,[5] the choice of prime minister must reflect the will of the majority in the National Assembly. In periods of cohabitation, the prime minister is only responsible to the parliament.[6]
One example of cohabitation includes President François Mitterrand's appointment of Jacques Chirac as prime minister after the legislative election of 1986. While Mitterrand's Socialist Party was the largest party in the National Assembly, it did not he an absolute majority. The Rally for the Republic had an alliance with the Union for French Democracy, which ge them a majority.
While prime ministers are usually chosen from amongst the ranks of the National Assembly, on rare occasions the president has selected a non-officeholder because of experience in bureaucracy or foreign service, or success in business management—former Minister of Foreign Affairs Dominique de Villepin, for example, served as prime minister from 2005 to 2007 without hing held elected office.
Although the president's choice of prime minister must be in accordance with the majority in the National Assembly, a prime minister does not he to ask for a vote of confidence after a government formation, hing been legitimized by the president's assignment and approval of the government.[4] Prior to the 1958 Constitution, the government was required to pass a motion of confidence upon entering office.[4]
Role[edit]According to article 21 of the Constitution,[7] the prime minister "shall direct the actions of the Government". Additionally, Article 20[7] stipulates that the government "shall determine and conduct the policy of the Nation", and it includes domestic issues, while the president concentrates on formulating directions on national defense and foreign policy while arbitrating the efficient service of all governmental authorities in France. Other members of the government are appointed by the president "on the recommendation of the prime minister". In practice, the prime minister acts in harmony with the president, except when there is a cohabitation. During cohabitation, according to the Constitutional Council, "the centre of grity of power shifts from the Élysée to Matignon",[8] with the president losing his status as head of the executive.[9] In such cases, the prime minister traditionally exercises primacy in domestic affairs, while the president limits their action to defense and, to a lesser degree, to foreign affairs.[10]
The prime minister can "engage the responsibility" of the government before the National Assembly. This process consists of placing a bill before the assembly, and either the assembly overthrows the government, or the bill is passed automatically (article 49).[7] In addition to ensuring that the government still has support in the house, some bills that might prove too controversial to pass through the normal assembly rules are able to be passed this way.
The prime minister may also submit a bill that has not been yet signed into law to the Constitutional Council (article 61).[7] Before dissolving the assembly, the president must consult the prime minister and the presidents of both houses of Parliament (article 12).[7] The prime minister is the only member of the government able to introduce legislation in Parliament.
History[edit] Hôtel Matignon, the official residence of the prime ministerSee also: Chief minister of FranceUnder the Third Republic, the French Constitutional Laws of 1875 titled the head of government as the "President of the Council of Ministers" (French: Président du Conseil des Ministres), though he was informally called "prime minister" or "premier" outside of France.[a]
The president of the council was vested with similar formal powers to those of the prime minister of the United Kingdom. In practice, this proved insufficient to command the confidence of France's multi-party parliament. Most notably, the legislature had the power to force the entire cabinet out of office by a vote of censure. As a result, cabinets were often toppled twice a year, and there were long stretches where France was left with only a caretaker government. Under the circumstances, the president of the council was usually a fairly weak figure whose strength was more dependent on charisma than formal powers. Often, he was little more than primus inter pares, and was more the cabinet's chairman than its leader.
After several unsuccessful attempts to strengthen the role in the first half of the twentieth century, a semi-presidential system was introduced under the Fifth Republic. It was at this point that the post was formally named "Prime Minister" and took its present form. The 1958 Constitution includes several provisions intended to strengthen the prime minister's position, for instance by restricting the legislature's power to censure the government. As a result, a prime minister has only been censured twice during the existence of the Fifth Republic: the first such instance occurred in 1962 when Georges Pompidou was toppled over opposition objections to President Charles de Gaulle's effort to he the president popularly elected. At the ensuing 1962 French legislative election, de Gaulle's coalition won an increased majority, and Pompidou was reappointed prime minister.[5] Thereafter, no government lost a motion of no confidence until 2024, when Michel Barnier's minority government was toppled after invoking article 49.3 of the Constitution to adopt the Social Security budget for 2025 without submitting it to a parliamentary vote.[11]
Living former prime ministers of France[edit]As of 25 December 2025, there are eighteen living former prime ministers. The most recent death of a former prime minister was that of Jacques Chirac (1974–76, 1986–88), on 26 September 2019.
Living former prime ministers of France Laurent Fabius1984–1986 (1946-08-20) 20 August 1946 (age 79) Édith Cresson1991–1992 (1934-01-27) 27 January 1934 (age 91) Édouard Balladur1993–1995 (1929-05-02) 2 May 1929 (age 96) Alain Juppé1995–1997 (1945-08-12) 12 August 1945 (age 80) Lionel Jospin1997–2002 (1937-07-12) 12 July 1937 (age 88) Jean-Pierre Raffarin2002–2005 (1948-08-03) 3 August 1948 (age 77) Dominique de Villepin2005–2007 (1953-11-14) 14 November 1953 (age 72) François Fillon2007–2012 (1954-03-04) 4 March 1954 (age 71) Jean-Marc Ayrault2012–2014 (1950-01-25) 25 January 1950 (age 75) Manuel Valls2014–2016 (1962-08-13) 13 August 1962 (age 63) Bernard Cazeneuve2016–2017 (1963-06-02) 2 June 1963 (age 62) Édouard Philippe2017–2020 (1970-11-28) 28 November 1970 (age 55) Jean Castex2020–2022 (1965-06-25) 25 June 1965 (age 60) Élisabeth Borne2022–2024 (1961-04-18) 18 April 1961 (age 64) Gabriel Attal2024 (1989-03-16) 16 March 1989 (age 36) Michel Barnier2024 (1951-01-09) 9 January 1951 (age 74) François Bayrou2024–2025 (1951-05-25) 25 May 1951 (age 74) See also[edit] First Minister of State List of prime ministers of France Notes[edit] ^ pronounced [pʁəmje ministʁ fʁɑ̃sɛ]; feminine form: Première ministre française [pʁəmjɛʀ - fʁɑ̃sɛːz] ^ pronounced [- d(ə) la ʁepyblik fʁɑ̃sɛːz]; feminine form: Première ministre ... ^ the term "President of the Council of Ministers of France" was naming of head of government of France in the Third Republic and Fourth Republic periods, naming "Prime Minister of France" is used since Fifth Republic periods, in fact, naming of Prime Minister of France is used in several political regimes era by the foreign press References[edit] ^ "IG.com Pay Check". IG. ^ "French PM and government resign, pitching Macron into chaos". 6 October 2025. Retrieved 6 October 2025. ^ Ataman, Joseph (10 October 2025). "In shock move, French president reappoints prime minister who quit Monday". CNN. Retrieved 11 October 2025. ^ a b c "Qui désigne le Premier ministre ?". vie-publique.fr (in French). 11 July 2024. ^ a b "La motion de censure : véritable moyen de contrôle ?". vie-publique.fr (in French). 5 July 2024. ^ "Rôle du président de la République, cohabitations : un historique". vie-publique.fr (in French). 19 June 2019. ^ a b c d e "French National Assembly – Assemblée nationale". Archived from the original on 13 March 2013. Retrieved 17 May 2012. ^ "Comment la Constitution organise-t-elle la cohabitation ?". conseil-constitutionnel.fr (in French). 1 October 2021. ^ "Les cohabitations". vie-publique.fr (in French). 7 July 2018. Le chef de l'État, élu au suffrage universel direct, perd sa fonction de direction de l'exécutif au profit du Premier ministre, responsable devant l'Assemblée nationale. ^ Daguet, François (1987). "Jacques Fournier. Le trail gouvernemental". Politique étrangère (in French). 52 (4): 1000–1001. ^ "En direct: 331 députés votent la censure du gouvernement de Michel Barnier, le premier ministre va remettre sa démission à Emmanuel Macron". Le Monde.fr (in French). Retrieved 4 December 2024. 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