The French PM Sébastien Lecornu Tenders Resignation After Under a Month in Power
The French Premier Sébastien Lecornu has resigned, less than a day after his cabinet was announced.
The French presidency issued a statement after Lecornu met Macron for an meeting on Monday morning.
This surprising decision comes only less than a month after Lecornu was given the PM role following the dissolution of the prior administration of François Bayrou.
Various groups in the National Assembly had strongly opposed the composition of the new government, which was largely unchanged to the previous one, and threatened to vote it down.
Pressure for Snap Polls and Political Unrest
Several parties are now calling for new parliamentary polls, with some urging 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 2027.
"The President needs to choose: parliament's dissolution or leaving office," said Chenu, one of key representatives of the far right National Rally (RN).
Lecornu - the ex-defense chief and a ally of the President - was the fifth premier in a two-year span.
Background of Government Turmoil
France's political landscape has been very volatile 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 rejected in September after the assembly refused to back his fiscal tightening package, which aimed to slash government spending by €44bn.
Economic Pressures and Market Response
France's deficit reached 5.8 percent of economic output in the current year and its public debt is 114% of GDP.
That is the number three debt level in the European monetary union after Greece and Italy, and amounting to almost 50k euros for each resident.
Share prices dropped in the French stock market after the news of Lecornu's resignation emerged on Monday.
