French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu Tenders Resignation Following Less Than a 30-Day Period in Office
The French Premier Lecornu has resigned, under 24 hours after his government team was unveiled.
The Elysée palace confirmed the news after the Prime Minister met President Emmanuel Macron for an meeting on the start of the week.
This unexpected development comes only 26 days after he was appointed prime minister following the collapse of the prior administration of François Bayrou.
Various groups in the French parliament had fiercely criticised the composition of the new government, which was largely unchanged to Bayrou's, and vowed to reject it.
Pressure for Early Elections and Government Unrest
Several parties are now clamouring for new parliamentary polls, with some urging Macron to resign too - despite the fact that he has consistently affirmed he will not resign before his mandate concludes in the year 2027.
"Macron needs to pick: calling new elections or resignation," said Chenu, one of leading figures of the far right National Rally (RN).
The outgoing PM - the former armed forces minister and a Macron loyalist - was the fifth French PM in a two-year span.
Context of Political Turmoil
The nation's governance has been very volatile since July 2024, when snap parliamentary elections resulted in a no clear majority.
This has posed obstacles for each PM to obtain required votes to enact new laws.
The previous administration was rejected in autumn after the assembly voted against his austerity budget, which aimed to slash government spending by €44bn.
Financial Challenges and Market Response
France's deficit stood at 5.8% of GDP in 2024 and its public debt is more than the total economic output.
That is the third largest government debt in the European monetary union after two southern European nations, and equivalent to almost 50,000 euros per person.
Share prices dropped in the Paris bourse after the news of Lecornu's resignation broke on Monday.
