French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu Resigns After Less Than a Month in Office
The French Premier Lecornu has resigned, less than a day after his cabinet was unveiled.
The French presidency issued a statement after Lecornu met the French President for an hour on the start of the week.
This unexpected development comes only under four weeks after he was named premier following the collapse of the previous government of François Bayrou.
Parties across the board in the legislature had strongly opposed the composition of Lecornu's cabinet, which was mostly similar to Bayrou's, and threatened to vote it down.
Calls for Snap Polls and Government Instability
Multiple political groups are now clamouring for new parliamentary polls, with some calling for the President to also leave office - despite the fact that he has always said he will not resign before his mandate concludes in the year 2027.
"The President needs to pick: dissolution of parliament or stepping down," said Sébastien Chenu, one of leading figures of the RN party.
The outgoing PM - the former armed forces minister and a supporter of Macron - was the fifth French PM in under two years.
Background of Political Turmoil
French politics has been highly unstable since mid-2024, when snap parliamentary elections resulted in a deadlocked assembly.
This has posed obstacles for any prime minister to obtain required votes to pass any bills.
The previous administration was rejected in autumn after lawmakers declined to support his austerity budget, which aimed to cut state costs by €44bn.
Economic Pressures and Market Response
France's deficit stood at 5.8% of GDP in 2024 and its public debt is 114% of GDP.
That is the number three debt level in the eurozone after Greece and Italy, and equivalent to almost 50,000 euros per person.
Markets declined in the French stock market after the resignation report was released on Monday morning.
