The French PM Sébastien Lecornu Resigns Following Under a Month in the Role
The nation's PM Lecornu has resigned, shortly after his ministers was unveiled.
The Elysée palace issued a statement after the Prime Minister met the French President for an hour on the start of the week.
This unexpected development comes only less than a month after Lecornu was appointed prime minister following the downfall of the prior administration of François Bayrou.
Various groups in the legislature had strongly opposed the makeup of the new government, which was largely unchanged to Bayrou's, and threatened to vote it down.
Calls for Snap Polls and Government Unrest
A number of factions are now clamouring for new parliamentary polls, with certain voices demanding the President to resign too - even though he has always said he will not stand down before his mandate concludes in five years from now.
"The President needs to choose: calling new elections or stepping down," said Chenu, one of leading figures of the National Rally.
Lecornu - the previous military head and a supporter of Macron - was the fifth premier in less than 24 months.
Context of Government Crisis
France's political landscape has been highly unstable since July 2024, when early legislative polls resulted in a no clear majority.
This has created challenges for each PM to garner the necessary support to approve legislation.
The former cabinet was rejected in September after lawmakers declined to support his austerity budget, which aimed to reduce public expenditure by €44bn.
Financial Pressures and Market Response
The nation's budget gap reached nearly 6% of the economy in 2024 and its national debt is more than the total economic output.
That is the number three debt level in the eurozone after Greece and Italy, and equivalent to almost €50,000 per French citizen.
Stocks fell sharply in the Paris bourse after the resignation report was released on Monday morning.
