France’s new Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu takes office on Wednesday facing a day of protests that are expected to see transport, education and other services suffer disruptions in a show of grassroots anger against President Emmanuel Macron.

The protests, led by a loose left-wing collective called “Block Everything”, could be a baptism of fire for Lecornu, 39, a close ally of Macron who has served the last three years as defence minister.

Macron named Lecornu as prime minister late Tuesday, a day after his predecessor Francois Bayrou lost a confidence vote in parliament, forcing him and his government to resign.

Bayrou stumbled over his attempt to implement a package of austerity measures aimed at reducing France’s debt. It remains unclear what compromises Lecornu has in mind to push the budget through.

“The president is convinced that (under Lecornu) an agreement between the political forces is possible, while respecting the convictions of everyone,” said the French presidency.

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 is seen as a discreet but highly skilled operator who, crucially for Macron, himself harbours no ambition of becoming president.

He had been tipped to take the premier job in December but in the end Bayrou reportedly strong-armed the president into giving him a chance.

He becomes the seventh prime minister since Macron took office in 2017, the fifth since his second mandate began in 2022 and the third within the space of the year.

Lecornu faces the immense challenge of building bridges across parliament and ensure he does not suffer the same fate as Bayrou, who lasted just nine months, with the aim of serving Macron until his presidency ends in 2027.

Lecornu vowed on X that his government would work for “political and institutional stability for the unity of the country”.