French Prime Minister Lecornu Resigns After Under a Month in the Role
France's Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu has stepped down, under 24 hours after his government team was presented.
The presidential office made the announcement after the Prime Minister met President Emmanuel Macron for an hour on Monday morning.
This surprising decision comes only 26 days after he was appointed prime minister following the collapse of the previous government of François Bayrou.
Political factions in the legislature had sharply condemned the makeup of the new government, which was largely unchanged to the previous one, and vowed to reject it.
Demands for Snap Polls and Government Instability
Several parties are now clamouring for early elections, with others demanding Macron to step down as well - even though he has repeatedly stated he will not stand down before his term ends in five years from now.
"The President needs to pick: dissolution of parliament or resignation," said Sébastien Chenu, one of key representatives of the National Rally.
The outgoing PM - the previous military head and a Macron loyalist - was France's fifth prime minister in a two-year span.
Context of Political Turmoil
The nation's governance has been markedly turbulent since July 2024, when sudden national voting resulted in a no clear majority.
This has posed obstacles for any prime minister to garner the necessary support to approve legislation.
The former cabinet was voted down in last month after lawmakers declined to support his spending cuts plan, which aimed to cut state costs by 44 billion euros.
Financial Pressures and Market Response
France's deficit reached 5.8% of GDP in the current year and its national debt is more than the total economic output.
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.
Share prices dropped in the French stock market after the news of Lecornu's resignation broke on Monday morning.
