France's Premier Sébastien Lecornu Tenders Resignation After Under a Month in Power
France's Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu has stepped down, less than a day after his ministers was presented.
The French presidency issued a statement after Lecornu met President Emmanuel Macron for an hour on Monday morning.
This unexpected development comes only under four weeks after Lecornu was given the PM role following the collapse of the prior administration of François Bayrou.
Parties across the board in the National Assembly had sharply condemned the composition of Lecornu's cabinet, which was very close to the previous one, and vowed to reject it.
Pressure for Snap Polls and Government Instability
Several parties are now demanding early elections, with certain voices calling for the President to resign too - despite the fact that he has repeatedly stated he will not stand down before his mandate concludes in five years from now.
"The President needs to pick: dissolution of parliament or leaving office," said Chenu, one of key representatives of the National Rally.
The outgoing PM - the previous military head and a ally of the President - was the fifth premier in less than 24 months.
Context of Government Crisis
France's political landscape has been markedly turbulent since mid-2024, when sudden national voting resulted in a deadlocked assembly.
This has posed obstacles for any prime minister to garner the necessary support to approve legislation.
The previous administration was defeated in autumn after lawmakers refused to back his austerity budget, which aimed to slash government spending by $51 billion.
Economic Challenges and Stock Reaction
The nation's budget gap reached 5.8 percent of economic output in the current year and its government debt is 114% of GDP.
That is the third highest public debt in the euro area after two southern European nations, and equal to almost 50,000 euros per person.
Stocks fell sharply in the Paris exchange after the news of Lecornu's resignation emerged on the start of the week.
