The French PM Sébastien Lecornu Steps Down After Under a 30-Day Period in the Role
The nation's PM Sébastien Lecornu has handed in his resignation, under 24 hours after his cabinet was announced.
The Elysée palace made the announcement after the Prime Minister met the French President for an meeting on Monday morning.
This unexpected development comes only 26 days after he was named premier following the downfall of the prior administration of his predecessor.
Political factions in the legislature had fiercely criticised the composition of the new government, which was largely unchanged to the previous one, and threatened to vote it down.
Calls for New Vote and Political Unrest
Multiple political groups are now calling for new parliamentary polls, with certain voices calling for Macron to step down as well - even though he has consistently affirmed he will not leave before his term ends in five years from now.
"Macron needs to choose: dissolution of parliament or stepping down," said Chenu, one of key representatives of the National Rally.
The outgoing PM - the former armed forces minister and a Macron loyalist - was France's fifth prime minister in a two-year span.
Background of Political Turmoil
The nation's governance has been highly unstable since July 2024, when early legislative polls resulted in a deadlocked assembly.
This has posed obstacles for any prime minister to secure enough backing to pass any bills.
The previous administration was defeated in last month after the assembly refused to back his fiscal tightening package, which aimed to reduce public expenditure by 44 billion euros.
Financial Pressures and Market Reaction
The nation's budget gap reached 5.8 percent of economic output in the current year and its government debt is more than the total economic output.
That is the number three debt level in the euro area after Italy and Greece, and amounting to almost €50,000 per French citizen.
Markets declined in the French stock market after the resignation report was released on Monday morning.
