France's Premier Lecornu Resigns Following Under a Month in Office
The nation's PM Sébastien Lecornu has handed in his resignation, shortly after his ministers was unveiled.
The presidential office confirmed the news after Lecornu met President Emmanuel Macron for an hour on the start of the week.
This shock move comes only 26 days after he was given the PM role following the collapse of the previous government of François Bayrou.
Political factions in the legislature had fiercely criticised the structure of his ministerial team, which was mostly similar to the previous one, and vowed to reject it.
Demands for Early Elections and Government Unrest
Several parties are now clamouring for new parliamentary polls, with some demanding the President to step down as well - although he has consistently affirmed he will not stand down before his term ends in the year 2027.
"Macron needs to choose: parliament's dissolution or leaving office," said Sébastien Chenu, one of key representatives of the far right National Rally (RN).
Lecornu - the former armed forces minister and a Macron loyalist - was France's fifth prime minister in under two years.
Context of Government Crisis
French politics has been markedly turbulent since mid-2024, when early legislative polls resulted in a hung parliament.
This has posed obstacles for every premier to garner the necessary support to pass any bills.
The former cabinet was rejected in September after lawmakers voted against his austerity budget, which aimed to slash government spending by 44 billion euros.
Economic Pressures and Stock Reaction
France's deficit reached 5.8% of GDP in 2024 and its national debt is 114 percent of GDP.
That is the number three debt level in the euro area after two southern European nations, and equal to almost 50k euros for each resident.
Markets declined in the French stock market after the news of Lecornu's resignation was released on Monday morning.
