The French PM Sébastien Lecornu Resigns Following Under a 30-Day Period in the Role
The French Premier Lecornu has resigned, less than a day after his government team was unveiled.
The presidential office confirmed the news after the Prime Minister met Macron for an 60-minute discussion on Monday morning.
This shock move comes only 26 days after Lecornu was named premier following the collapse of the previous government of François Bayrou.
Various groups in the French parliament had strongly opposed the makeup of his ministerial team, which was very close to the previous one, and promised to block its approval.
Demands for New Vote and Government Instability
Several parties are now calling for early elections, with others urging the President to also leave office - despite the fact that he has always said he will not stand down before his time in office finishes in five years from now.
"The President needs to choose: parliament's dissolution or resignation," said Chenu, one of key representatives of the RN party.
The outgoing PM - the ex-defense chief and a supporter of Macron - was the fifth premier in a two-year span.
Context of Political Turmoil
French politics has been highly unstable since July 2024, when sudden national voting resulted in a no clear majority.
This has created challenges for any prime minister to secure enough backing to pass any bills.
The previous administration was rejected in autumn after lawmakers voted against his fiscal tightening package, which aimed to cut state costs by $51 billion.
Financial Challenges and Market Reaction
The nation's budget gap reached nearly 6% of the economy in the current year and its public debt is 114% of GDP.
That is the third largest government debt in the European monetary union after two southern European nations, and equal to almost €50,000 per French citizen.
Share prices dropped in the French stock market after the announcement about the PM broke on the start of the week.
