French Prime Minister Lecornu Steps Down Following Less Than a 30-Day Period in Office
The nation's PM Sébastien Lecornu has handed in his resignation, under 24 hours after his ministers was unveiled.
The French presidency confirmed the news after Lecornu met Macron for an 60-minute discussion on Monday morning.
This shock move comes only 26 days after Lecornu was appointed prime minister following the collapse of the previous government of François Bayrou.
Political factions in the French parliament had strongly opposed the structure of Lecornu's cabinet, which was mostly similar to the previous one, and promised to block its approval.
Demands for Early Elections and Government Unrest
A number of factions are now demanding new parliamentary polls, with others demanding Macron to also leave office - despite the fact that he has repeatedly stated he will not leave before his time in office finishes in the year 2027.
"The President needs to pick: dissolution of parliament or resignation," said Sébastien Chenu, one of key representatives of the RN party.
The outgoing PM - the previous military head and a Macron loyalist - was the fifth French PM in less than 24 months.
Background of Government Turmoil
France's political landscape has been very volatile since last summer, when early legislative polls resulted in a no clear majority.
This has created challenges for each PM to obtain required votes to approve legislation.
The former cabinet was rejected in autumn after lawmakers refused to back his spending cuts plan, which aimed to slash government spending by 44 billion euros.
Financial Pressures and Stock Response
The nation's budget gap reached 5.8% of GDP in 2024 and its national debt is 114% of GDP.
That is the number three debt level in the eurozone after two southern European nations, and amounting to almost €50,000 per French citizen.
Markets declined in the French stock market after the news of Lecornu's resignation broke on Monday.
