French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu Steps Down Following Less Than a 30-Day Period in Office
France's Prime Minister Lecornu has handed in his resignation, under 24 hours after his government team was presented.
The presidential office confirmed the news after Lecornu met President Emmanuel Macron for an meeting on the start of the week.
This surprising decision comes only 26 days after Lecornu was given the PM role following the downfall of the prior administration of François Bayrou.
Various groups in the National Assembly had strongly opposed the structure of the new government, which was mostly similar to Bayrou's, and promised to block its approval.
Pressure for Snap Polls and Political Instability
Multiple political groups are now demanding new parliamentary polls, with some calling for the President to resign too - although he has repeatedly stated he will not resign before his term ends in five years from now.
"Macron needs to pick: parliament's dissolution or stepping down," said Sébastien Chenu, one of key representatives of the far right National Rally (RN).
Lecornu - the previous military head and a supporter of Macron - was the fifth premier in under two years.
Context of Government Crisis
French politics has been highly unstable since mid-2024, when sudden national voting resulted in a hung parliament.
This has created challenges for any prime minister to secure enough backing to approve legislation.
The former cabinet was rejected in autumn after parliament voted against his austerity budget, which aimed to cut state costs by $51 billion.
Economic Challenges and Market Response
The French shortfall hit 5.8 percent of economic output in the current year and its public debt is more than the total economic output.
That is the third largest government debt in the European monetary union after Greece and Italy, and equivalent to almost 50,000 euros per person.
Stocks fell sharply in the Paris bourse after the resignation report emerged on Monday morning.
