French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu Steps Down Following Under a 30-Day Period in Power
The French Premier Lecornu has handed in his resignation, less than a day after his cabinet was presented.
The presidential office made the announcement after Lecornu met President Emmanuel Macron for an 60-minute discussion on the start of the week.
This unexpected development comes only less than a month after he was named premier following the downfall of the prior administration of his predecessor.
Parties across the board in the National Assembly had strongly opposed the structure of Lecornu's cabinet, which was very close to the previous one, and vowed to reject it.
Calls for Early Elections and Political Instability
Several parties are now calling for new parliamentary polls, with others calling for the President to also leave office - although he has always said he will not leave before his time in office finishes in 2027.
"Macron needs to choose: dissolution of parliament or stepping down," said Sébastien Chenu, one of key representatives of the National Rally.
Lecornu - the previous military head and a ally of the President - was the fifth premier in less than 24 months.
Context of Political Crisis
The nation's governance has been markedly turbulent since July 2024, when snap parliamentary elections resulted in a deadlocked assembly.
This has made it difficult for each PM to obtain required votes to approve legislation.
Bayrou's government was defeated in last month after lawmakers voted against his austerity budget, which aimed to slash government spending by 44 billion euros.
Financial Challenges and Market Response
France's deficit hit nearly 6% of the economy in 2024 and its government debt is 114 percent of GDP.
That is the third highest public debt in the European monetary union after two southern European nations, and equal to almost 50k euros for each resident.
Stocks fell sharply in the Paris exchange after the news of Lecornu's resignation was released on Monday.
