Prime Minister of France

The prime minister of France is an important leader in the government of the French Republic. This person is the main helper to the president and leads a group of leaders called the Council of Ministers. Even though the president is the top leader, the prime minister has a big job helping to run the country.

The president of France chooses the prime minister, but cannot remove them from the job. Instead, the prime minister can leave only if they choose to or if the National Assembly decides. When a new prime minister starts, they suggest other leaders to help in different parts of the government.

Right now, the prime minister is Sébastien Lecornu. He was first chosen for the job in September 2025, stepped down a little later, and then came back to the role in October 2025. The prime minister works closely with the president and helps make important decisions for France.

Nomination

The prime minister of France is chosen by the president of France. The president can pick anyone, but usually chooses someone who has the support of the National Assembly. This is because the National Assembly can make the government leave by voting against it.

Sometimes, when the president’s party does not have the most votes in the National Assembly, the president picks a prime minister from the other party. This is called cohabitation. For example, President François Mitterrand chose Jacques Chirac as prime minister after elections in 1986.

Usually, the prime minister is a member of the National Assembly. But sometimes, the president picks someone who is not a member, like Dominique de Villepin, who was prime minister from 2005 to 2007.

Role

The prime minister of France helps lead the government. They work with the president, who focuses on defense and foreign policy, while the prime minister handles many domestic issues. If the president and prime minister come from different political groups, called "cohabitation," the prime minister takes a stronger role in running the country.

The prime minister can present important bills to the National Assembly. If the assembly disagrees, the government may lose support. The prime minister also helps make sure laws follow the country's rules and can suggest new laws to Parliament.

History

See also: Chief minister of France

Hôtel Matignon, the official residence of the prime minister

During the Third Republic, the person leading the government was called the "President of the Council of Ministers" in official documents, but people often used the words "prime minister" or "premier" when talking about them, even outside of France.

This leader had powers similar to the prime minister of the United Kingdom, but it was hard to keep the government's support because the parliament could remove the whole cabinet with a vote of censure. Because of this, governments often changed every six months, and sometimes there was only a temporary government in place. The leader of the government was usually not very powerful and depended more on personal charm than official rules. Often, they were just the main member of the group rather than a true leader.

Later, a semi-presidential system was created under the Fifth Republic, and this is when the title "Prime Minister" was officially used. The 1958 Constitution included changes to make the prime minister's role stronger, such as limiting the parliament's ability to remove the government. Because of these changes, the prime minister has only been removed from office twice during the Fifth Republic. The first time was in 1962 when Georges Pompidou lost support because of disagreements over how the president should be elected by popular vote. After an election, Charles de Gaulle’s group won more seats, and Pompidou became prime minister again. No government lost support until 2024, when Michel Barnier’s minority government was removed after using article 49.3 of the Constitution to pass the Social Security budget for 2025 without a vote in parliament.

Living former prime ministers of France

As of 16 May 2026, there are 17 former prime ministers of France who are still alive. The most recent former prime minister to pass away was Lionel Jospin, who served from 1997 to 2002 and died on 22 March 2026.

Here is a list of the living former prime ministers: