The French PM Sébastien Lecornu Steps Down After Under a 30-Day Period in the Role
The nation's PM Lecornu has handed in his resignation, shortly 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 26 days after Lecornu was appointed prime minister following the collapse of the prior administration of François Bayrou.
Political factions in the legislature had fiercely criticised the makeup of the new government, which was largely unchanged to the previous one, and vowed to reject it.
Pressure for New Vote and Political Unrest
Several parties are now clamouring for early elections, with certain voices calling for the President to resign too - even though he has consistently affirmed he will not stand down before his time in office finishes in five years from now.
"Macron needs to choose: dissolution of parliament or stepping down," said Chenu, one of prominent members of the RN party.
The outgoing PM - the ex-defense chief and a Macron loyalist - was France's fifth prime minister in under two years.
Background of Political Turmoil
France's political landscape has been very volatile since July 2024, when sudden national voting resulted in a no clear majority.
This has made it difficult for any prime minister to garner the necessary support to pass any bills.
The former cabinet was rejected in September after the assembly refused to back his fiscal tightening package, which aimed to reduce public expenditure by 44 billion euros.
Economic Pressures and Stock Response
The French shortfall reached 5.8% of GDP in 2024 and its public debt is more than the total economic output.
That is the third largest government debt in the eurozone after two southern European nations, and amounting to almost 50,000 euros per person.
Stocks fell sharply in the French stock market after the announcement about the PM emerged on Monday morning.
