France's Premier Sébastien Lecornu Resigns Following Less Than a 30-Day Period in Office
The nation's PM Sébastien Lecornu has stepped down, shortly after his ministers was presented.
The presidential office confirmed the news after Lecornu met Macron for an 60-minute discussion on the start of the week.
This shock move comes only 26 days after Lecornu was given the PM role following the collapse of the prior administration of his predecessor.
Parties across the board in the National Assembly had sharply condemned the composition of Lecornu's cabinet, which was mostly similar to the previous one, and promised to block its approval.
Calls for Early Elections and Government Unrest
A number of factions are now calling for a snap election, with certain voices demanding the President to resign too - even though he has consistently affirmed he will not leave before his mandate concludes in five years from now.
"Macron needs to pick: parliament's dissolution or resignation," said Chenu, one of prominent members of the National Rally.
The outgoing PM - the ex-defense chief and a supporter of Macron - was France's fifth prime minister in a two-year span.
Context of Political Crisis
The nation's governance has been very volatile since July 2024, when snap parliamentary elections resulted in a no clear majority.
This has made it difficult for any prime minister to garner the necessary support to enact new laws.
Bayrou's government was voted down in autumn after parliament refused to back his austerity budget, which aimed to cut state costs by 44 billion euros.
Economic Challenges and Stock Response
The French shortfall reached 5.8% of GDP in 2024 and its public debt is 114 percent of GDP.
That is the third highest public debt in the European monetary union after Italy and Greece, and equivalent to almost 50k euros for each resident.
Markets declined in the French stock market after the resignation report emerged on Monday morning.
