French Prime Minister Lecornu Resigns Following Less Than a 30-Day Period in the Role
France's Prime Minister Lecornu has handed in his resignation, shortly after his government team was unveiled.
The French presidency issued a statement after Lecornu met the French President for an hour on Monday morning.
This surprising decision comes only less than a month after Lecornu was given the PM role following the downfall of the previous government of François Bayrou.
Political factions in the French parliament had fiercely criticised the structure of the new government, which was largely unchanged to Bayrou's, and vowed to reject it.
Demands for New Vote and Political Unrest
Multiple political groups are now calling for early elections, with some demanding Macron to step down as well - although he has always said he will not stand down before his time in office finishes in the year 2027.
"Macron needs to choose: calling new elections or resignation," said SĂ©bastien Chenu, one of prominent members of the RN party.
Lecornu - the ex-defense chief and a ally of the President - was the fifth French PM in a two-year span.
Context of Political Turmoil
The nation's governance has been very volatile since mid-2024, when early legislative polls resulted in a no clear majority.
This has made it difficult for any prime minister to garner the necessary support to approve legislation.
The previous administration was defeated in autumn after the assembly voted against his spending cuts plan, which aimed to cut state costs by $51 billion.
Financial Pressures and Stock Response
France's deficit reached 5.8 percent of economic output in the current year and its public debt is more than the total economic output.
That is the third largest government debt in the euro area after Italy and Greece, and equal to almost 50k euros for each resident.
Stocks fell sharply in the French stock market after the resignation report emerged on the start of the week.
