The French PM Sébastien Lecornu Tenders Resignation After Under a Month in the Role
France's Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu has handed in his resignation, less than a day after his cabinet was announced.
The French presidency made the announcement after the Prime Minister met Macron for an 60-minute discussion on Monday morning.
This shock move comes only less than a month after Lecornu was named premier following the dissolution of the prior administration of his predecessor.
Political factions in the National Assembly had sharply condemned the composition of Lecornu's cabinet, which was largely unchanged to the previous one, and threatened to vote it down.
Pressure for New Vote and Government Unrest
A number of factions are now calling for new parliamentary polls, with certain voices urging the President to resign too - despite the fact that he has always said he will not stand down before his term ends in the year 2027.
"The President needs to choose: calling new elections or resignation," said Sébastien Chenu, one of prominent members of the far right National Rally (RN).
The outgoing PM - the ex-defense chief and a Macron loyalist - was the fifth premier in less than 24 months.
Context of Government Turmoil
French politics has been very volatile since July 2024, when sudden national voting resulted in a hung parliament.
This has made it difficult for any prime minister to secure enough backing to approve legislation.
The previous administration was voted down in September after parliament refused to back his spending cuts plan, which aimed to slash government spending by 44 billion euros.
Economic Challenges and Market Reaction
France's deficit hit 5.8% of GDP in the current year and its government debt is more than the total economic output.
That is the number three debt level in the eurozone after two southern European nations, and equivalent to almost €50,000 per French citizen.
Stocks fell sharply in the French stock market after the news of Lecornu's resignation was released on Monday morning.
