France's Premier Lecornu Steps Down Following Under a 30-Day Period in Office
France's Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu has handed in his resignation, under 24 hours after his cabinet was announced.
The presidential office made the announcement after the Prime Minister met the French President for an meeting on the start of the week.
This unexpected development comes only under four weeks after Lecornu was named premier following the downfall of the previous government of François Bayrou.
Parties across the board in the National Assembly had sharply condemned the makeup of his ministerial team, which was very close to the previous one, and threatened to vote it down.
Calls for New Vote and Political Unrest
A number of factions are now clamouring for new parliamentary polls, 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 choose: calling new elections or resignation," said Chenu, one of leading figures of the National Rally.
Lecornu - the ex-defense chief and a supporter of Macron - was the fifth French PM in under two years.
Context of Political Crisis
France's political landscape has been highly unstable since mid-2024, when snap parliamentary elections resulted in a deadlocked assembly.
This has made it difficult for every premier to garner the necessary support to approve legislation.
The previous administration was defeated in last month after lawmakers refused to back his fiscal tightening package, which aimed to slash government spending by €44bn.
Financial Challenges and Stock Response
The French shortfall hit 5.8 percent of economic output in 2024 and its government debt is 114 percent of GDP.
That is the third highest public debt in the European monetary union after two southern European nations, and amounting to almost 50,000 euros per person.
Stocks fell sharply in the Paris exchange after the news of Lecornu's resignation was released on Monday morning.
