French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu Tenders Resignation After Less Than a 30-Day Period in Office
France's Prime Minister Lecornu has handed in his resignation, under 24 hours after his ministers was announced.
The Elysée palace made the announcement after the Prime Minister met President Emmanuel Macron for an 60-minute discussion on Monday morning.
This surprising decision comes only 26 days after Lecornu was given the PM role following the collapse of the prior administration of his predecessor.
Political factions in the National Assembly had strongly opposed the makeup of his ministerial team, which was mostly similar to Bayrou's, and threatened to vote it down.
Pressure for Early Elections and Political Instability
Multiple political groups are now calling for early elections, with others urging Macron to step down as well - despite the fact that he has repeatedly stated he will not leave before his time in office finishes in the year 2027.
"Macron needs to decide: dissolution of parliament or stepping down," said Sébastien Chenu, one of prominent members of the National Rally.
Lecornu - the ex-defense chief and a supporter of Macron - was the fifth premier in under two years.
Background of Government Turmoil
French politics has been very volatile since mid-2024, when early legislative polls resulted in a no clear majority.
This has posed obstacles for each PM to obtain required votes to enact new laws.
The previous administration was voted down in last month after the assembly voted against his austerity budget, which aimed to cut state costs by $51 billion.
Economic Challenges and Market Reaction
The nation's budget gap reached 5.8% of GDP in the current year and its government debt is more than the total economic output.
That is the third highest public debt in the European monetary union after Italy and Greece, and equal to almost 50,000 euros per person.
Stocks fell sharply in the Paris bourse after the news of Lecornu's resignation broke on the start of the week.
