The French PM Sébastien Lecornu Resigns Following Less Than a Month in Power
The nation's PM Lecornu has handed in his resignation, less than a day after his government team was unveiled.
The French presidency made the announcement after Lecornu met President Emmanuel Macron for an meeting on the start of the week.
This shock move comes only under four weeks after he was appointed prime minister following the dissolution of the prior administration of François Bayrou.
Various groups in the French parliament had fiercely criticised the makeup of Lecornu's cabinet, which was largely unchanged to Bayrou's, and threatened to vote it down.
Pressure for Early Elections and Government Unrest
Several parties are now calling for early elections, with some demanding Macron to step down as well - despite the fact that he has consistently affirmed he will not resign before his term ends in 2027.
"The President needs to decide: dissolution of parliament or resignation," said Chenu, one of prominent members of the National Rally.
Lecornu - the ex-defense chief and a ally of the President - was the fifth premier in a two-year span.
Context of Political Turmoil
The nation's governance has been highly unstable since July 2024, when snap parliamentary elections resulted in a no clear majority.
This has posed obstacles for each PM to secure enough backing to approve legislation.
The previous administration was rejected in September after parliament voted against his austerity budget, which aimed to slash government spending by €44bn.
Financial Pressures and Market Response
The French shortfall stood at 5.8 percent of economic output in 2024 and its national debt is more than the total economic output.
That is the third highest public debt in the eurozone after Italy and Greece, and equal to almost 50k euros for each resident.
Stocks fell sharply in the Paris exchange after the announcement about the PM broke on Monday morning.
