France's Premier Sébastien Lecornu Resigns After Less Than a 30-Day Period in Power
The nation's PM Sébastien Lecornu has stepped down, less than a day after his government team was unveiled.
The Elysée palace confirmed the news after the Prime Minister met President Emmanuel Macron for an 60-minute discussion on Monday morning.
This surprising decision comes only 26 days after he was appointed prime minister following the collapse of the prior administration of François Bayrou.
Various groups in the National Assembly had strongly opposed the structure of Lecornu's cabinet, which was mostly similar to Bayrou's, and promised to block its approval.
Pressure for New Vote and Political Instability
Several parties are now calling for new parliamentary polls, with some demanding Macron to step down as well - although he has always said he will not resign before his term ends in 2027.
"Macron needs to pick: dissolution of parliament or leaving office," said Chenu, one of leading figures of the far right National Rally (RN).
Lecornu - the previous military head and a Macron loyalist - was the fifth French PM in a two-year span.
Background of Government Turmoil
France's political landscape has been very volatile since mid-2024, when sudden national voting resulted in a hung parliament.
This has created challenges for each PM to obtain required votes to approve legislation.
The former cabinet was voted down in autumn after the assembly refused to back his fiscal tightening package, which aimed to cut state costs by €44bn.
Economic Pressures and Stock Response
The French shortfall hit 5.8% of GDP in the current year and its public debt is more than the total economic output.
That is the third highest public debt in the euro area after two southern European nations, and amounting to almost 50k euros for each resident.
Stocks fell sharply in the Paris exchange after the announcement about the PM was released on the start of the week.
