The French PM Lecornu Tenders Resignation Following Under a Month in Office
The nation's PM Sébastien Lecornu has handed in his resignation, under 24 hours after his government team was unveiled.
The presidential office made the announcement after Lecornu met the French President for an meeting on the start of the week.
This shock move comes only less than a month after Lecornu was given the PM role following the downfall of the previous government of his predecessor.
Various groups in the legislature had sharply condemned the structure of his ministerial team, which was very close to Bayrou's, and vowed to reject it.
Demands for Snap Polls and Political Instability
Multiple political groups are now calling for early elections, with certain voices demanding Macron to resign too - even though he has consistently affirmed he will not stand down before his term ends in 2027.
"Macron needs to choose: dissolution of parliament or resignation," said Sébastien Chenu, one of prominent members of the National Rally.
Lecornu - the former armed forces minister and a ally of the President - was France's fifth prime minister in a two-year span.
Context of Political Crisis
The nation's governance has been highly unstable since July 2024, when sudden national voting resulted in a deadlocked assembly.
This has created challenges for any prime minister to secure enough backing to pass any bills.
The former cabinet was rejected in autumn after parliament voted against his fiscal tightening package, which aimed to slash government spending by €44bn.
Economic Challenges and Stock Reaction
The French shortfall stood at nearly 6% of the economy in 2024 and its public debt is 114% of GDP.
That is the third highest public debt in the euro area after two southern European nations, and equal to almost €50,000 per French citizen.
Markets declined in the Paris exchange after the announcement about the PM broke on Monday morning.
