The French PM Sébastien Lecornu Tenders Resignation After Less Than a 30-Day Period in Office
The French Premier Sébastien Lecornu has resigned, shortly after his ministers was unveiled.
The French presidency issued a statement after Lecornu met President Emmanuel Macron for an 60-minute discussion on Monday morning.
This surprising decision comes only less than a month after he was named premier following the collapse of the previous government of his predecessor.
Parties across the board in the National Assembly had strongly opposed the makeup of the new government, which was largely unchanged to the previous one, and promised to block its approval.
Pressure for Early Elections and Political Instability
Several parties are now clamouring for early elections, with certain voices urging the President to step down as well - even though he has repeatedly stated he will not stand down before his mandate concludes in five years from now.
"The President needs to pick: calling new elections or leaving office," said Chenu, one of key representatives of the RN party.
Lecornu - the former armed forces minister and a ally of the President - was France's fifth prime minister in under two years.
Context of Political Turmoil
France's political landscape has been highly unstable since July 2024, when early legislative polls resulted in a hung parliament.
This has posed obstacles for each PM to obtain required votes to approve legislation.
The former cabinet was rejected in last month after parliament refused to back his fiscal tightening package, which aimed to reduce public expenditure by €44bn.
Economic Challenges and Stock Response
France's deficit hit 5.8 percent of economic output in 2024 and its national debt is 114 percent of GDP.
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 Paris bourse after the news of Lecornu's resignation emerged on the start of the week.
