France's Premier Sébastien Lecornu Tenders Resignation After Less Than a 30-Day Period in Office
France's Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu has stepped down, shortly after his government team was unveiled.
The presidential office made the announcement after Lecornu met Macron for an meeting on Monday morning.
This unexpected development comes only under four weeks after he was appointed prime minister following the dissolution of the prior administration of his predecessor.
Various groups in the French parliament had fiercely criticised the composition of Lecornu's cabinet, which was very close to Bayrou's, and threatened to vote it down.
Calls for New Vote and Political Unrest
Multiple political groups are now clamouring for new parliamentary polls, with others calling for the President to step down as well - despite the fact that he has repeatedly stated he will not stand down before his time in office finishes in the year 2027.
"The President needs to choose: calling new elections or leaving office," said Chenu, one of key representatives of the far right National Rally (RN).
The outgoing PM - the ex-defense chief and a supporter of Macron - was the fifth French PM in less than 24 months.
Background of Government Crisis
French politics has been highly unstable since mid-2024, when early legislative polls resulted in a hung parliament.
This has posed obstacles for any prime minister to secure enough backing to enact new laws.
The previous administration was defeated in autumn after the assembly declined to support his austerity budget, which aimed to slash government spending by $51 billion.
Economic Pressures and Market Response
The French shortfall stood at 5.8% of GDP in the current year and its national debt is more than the total economic output.
That is the number three debt level in the euro area after Greece and Italy, and equivalent to almost €50,000 per French citizen.
Share prices dropped in the Paris bourse after the resignation report broke on the start of the week.
