The French PM Lecornu Resigns Following Under a Month in Office
France's Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu has handed in his resignation, under 24 hours after his ministers was announced.
The presidential office made the announcement after Lecornu met the French President for an 60-minute discussion on Monday morning.
This shock move comes only less than a month after Lecornu was given the PM role following the collapse of the previous government of François Bayrou.
Political factions in the National Assembly had strongly opposed the structure of Lecornu's cabinet, which was very close to the previous one, and threatened to vote it down.
Calls for Early Elections and Political Unrest
Multiple political groups are now demanding new parliamentary polls, with some urging Macron to also leave office - although he has repeatedly stated he will not leave before his time in office finishes in the year 2027.
"Macron needs to pick: parliament's dissolution or resignation," said Sébastien Chenu, one of key representatives of the National Rally.
The outgoing PM - the ex-defense chief and a Macron loyalist - was the fifth French PM in less than 24 months.
Background of Political Turmoil
France's political landscape has been highly unstable since last summer, when snap parliamentary elections resulted in a hung parliament.
This has created challenges for each PM to garner the necessary support to enact new laws.
Bayrou's government was voted down in September after lawmakers declined to support his spending cuts plan, which aimed to slash government spending by 44 billion euros.
Financial Challenges and Stock Reaction
France's deficit stood at nearly 6% of the economy in 2024 and its national debt is 114% of GDP.
That is the third highest public debt in the euro area after Italy and Greece, and amounting to almost 50k euros for each resident.
Markets declined in the French stock market after the news of Lecornu's resignation emerged on the start of the week.
