French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu Tenders Resignation Following Less Than a 30-Day Period in the Role
The nation's PM Sébastien Lecornu has stepped down, less than a day after his cabinet was unveiled.
The French presidency made the announcement after Lecornu met Macron for an 60-minute discussion on the start of the week.
This shock move comes only 26 days after Lecornu was appointed prime minister following the collapse of the prior administration of François Bayrou.
Political factions in the legislature had sharply condemned the structure of Lecornu's cabinet, which was mostly similar to Bayrou's, and promised to block its approval.
Calls for New Vote and Government Instability
Multiple political groups are now demanding early elections, with others demanding Macron to step down as well - despite the fact that he has consistently affirmed he will not leave before his term ends in the year 2027.
"Macron needs to pick: dissolution of parliament or resignation," said Sébastien Chenu, one of key representatives of the National Rally.
Lecornu - the former armed forces minister and a supporter of Macron - was France's fifth prime minister in less than 24 months.
Background of Government Turmoil
France's political landscape has been very volatile since last summer, when early legislative polls resulted in a hung parliament.
This has posed obstacles for every premier to obtain required votes to approve legislation.
Bayrou's government was rejected in September after parliament refused to back his fiscal tightening package, which aimed to cut state costs by $51 billion.
Financial Challenges and Stock Reaction
France's deficit stood at 5.8% of GDP 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 amounting to almost 50k euros for each resident.
Share prices dropped in the Paris exchange after the announcement about the PM was released on Monday.
