French Prime Minister Lecornu Resigns Following Less Than a 30-Day Period in Office
The French Premier Sébastien Lecornu has handed in his resignation, shortly after his ministers was unveiled.
The French presidency confirmed the news after the Prime Minister met President Emmanuel Macron for an hour on the start of the week.
This shock move comes only less than a month after he was named premier following the dissolution of the previous government of his predecessor.
Political factions in the legislature had strongly opposed the composition of Lecornu's cabinet, which was mostly similar to the previous one, and promised to block its approval.
Calls for Snap Polls and Political Unrest
Several parties are now demanding early elections, with some urging the President to also leave office - even though he has repeatedly stated he will not leave before his time in office finishes in the year 2027.
"Macron needs to choose: calling new elections or leaving office," said Chenu, one of leading figures of the RN party.
The outgoing PM - the ex-defense chief and a ally of the President - was France's fifth prime minister in less than 24 months.
Context of Political Crisis
France's political landscape has been highly unstable since mid-2024, when early legislative polls resulted in a hung parliament.
This has made it difficult for every premier to obtain required votes to enact new laws.
The former cabinet was voted down in autumn after lawmakers declined to support his fiscal tightening package, which aimed to reduce public expenditure by 44 billion euros.
Financial Pressures and Stock Reaction
France's deficit stood at 5.8 percent of economic output in the current year and its national debt is 114% of GDP.
That is the third largest government debt in the European monetary union after two southern European nations, and equal to almost 50,000 euros per person.
Stocks fell sharply in the Paris bourse after the resignation report was released on Monday morning.
