French Prime Minister Lecornu Resigns After Less Than a Month in Office
The nation's PM Sébastien Lecornu has resigned, less than a day after his government team was presented.
The presidential office issued a statement after the Prime Minister met Macron for an 60-minute discussion on the start of the week.
This unexpected development comes only less than a month after Lecornu was named premier following the dissolution of the previous government of François Bayrou.
Parties across the board in the legislature had strongly opposed the makeup of Lecornu's cabinet, which was very close to the previous one, and promised to block its approval.
Calls for New Vote and Government Instability
A number of factions are now clamouring for a snap election, with others demanding the President to step down as well - although he has repeatedly stated he will not stand down before his mandate concludes in five years from now.
"Macron needs to pick: calling new elections or resignation," said Chenu, one of leading figures of the far right National Rally (RN).
Lecornu - the previous military head and a ally of the President - was the fifth premier in a two-year span.
Context of Political Crisis
French politics has been markedly turbulent since mid-2024, when snap parliamentary elections resulted in a hung parliament.
This has made it difficult for each PM to garner the necessary support to enact new laws.
The previous administration was rejected in September after parliament refused to back his spending cuts plan, which aimed to reduce public expenditure by €44bn.
Economic Challenges and Stock Reaction
The nation's budget gap hit 5.8 percent of economic output in the current year and its national debt is 114% of GDP.
That is the third largest government debt in the euro area after two southern European nations, and amounting to almost €50,000 per French citizen.
Share prices dropped in the Paris bourse after the announcement about the PM broke on Monday morning.
