France's Premier Sébastien Lecornu Tenders Resignation After Under a 30-Day Period in Power
The nation's PM Lecornu has resigned, shortly after his ministers was presented.
The presidential office confirmed the news after Lecornu met the French President for an 60-minute discussion on Monday morning.
This surprising decision comes only less than a month after Lecornu was appointed prime minister following the collapse of the previous government of François Bayrou.
Political factions in the legislature had fiercely criticised the composition of Lecornu's cabinet, which was mostly similar to Bayrou's, and threatened to vote it down.
Calls for New Vote and Government Instability
Multiple political groups are now demanding early elections, with some demanding the President to step down as well - even though he has always said he will not stand down before his time in office finishes in the year 2027.
"Macron needs to pick: calling new elections or stepping down," said Sébastien Chenu, one of prominent members of the far right National Rally (RN).
Lecornu - the former armed forces minister and a ally of the President - was the fifth premier in less than 24 months.
Context of Political Crisis
French politics has been highly unstable since July 2024, when snap parliamentary elections resulted in a no clear majority.
This has created challenges for each PM to secure enough backing to approve legislation.
The previous administration was defeated in autumn after lawmakers voted against his fiscal tightening package, which aimed to reduce public expenditure by 44 billion euros.
Financial Challenges and Market Response
The nation's budget gap stood at nearly 6% of the economy in 2024 and its government debt is 114 percent of GDP.
That is the number three debt level in the eurozone after two southern European nations, and equivalent to almost €50,000 per French citizen.
Share prices dropped in the Paris bourse after the resignation report emerged on the start of the week.
