France's Premier Sébastien Lecornu Resigns After Less Than a 30-Day Period in the Role
The nation's PM Sébastien Lecornu has stepped down, under 24 hours after his cabinet was unveiled.
The French presidency made the announcement after the Prime Minister met the French President for an hour on Monday morning.
This surprising decision comes only 26 days after Lecornu was named premier following the downfall of the prior administration of his predecessor.
Political factions in the National Assembly had sharply condemned the makeup of Lecornu's cabinet, which was largely unchanged to the previous one, and vowed to reject it.
Demands for Snap Polls and Political Unrest
Several parties are now demanding early elections, with others demanding the President to resign too - even though he has consistently affirmed he will not resign before his time in office finishes in 2027.
"Macron needs to choose: calling new elections or stepping down," said Chenu, one of key representatives of the far right National Rally (RN).
Lecornu - the ex-defense chief and a supporter of Macron - was the fifth premier in less than 24 months.
Background of Government Turmoil
French politics has been markedly turbulent since July 2024, when snap parliamentary elections resulted in a no clear majority.
This has created challenges for any prime minister to garner the necessary support to pass any bills.
Bayrou's government was rejected in autumn after lawmakers refused to back his spending cuts plan, which aimed to reduce public expenditure by €44bn.
Financial Pressures and Stock Response
France's deficit stood at 5.8% of GDP in 2024 and its government debt is 114% of GDP.
That is the third largest government debt in the euro area after Greece and Italy, and amounting to almost 50,000 euros per person.
Markets declined in the French stock market after the resignation report emerged on Monday morning.
