The French PM Sébastien Lecornu Steps Down After Under a Month in the Role
France's Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu has stepped down, less than a day after his ministers was presented.
The presidential office confirmed the news after Lecornu met President Emmanuel Macron for an 60-minute discussion on the start of the week.
This unexpected development comes only 26 days after he was given the PM role following the collapse of the previous government of François Bayrou.
Political factions in the National Assembly had sharply condemned the structure of the new government, which was largely unchanged to the previous one, and threatened to vote it down.
Demands for Early Elections and Government Unrest
A number of factions are now calling for a snap election, with some demanding Macron to resign too - although he has repeatedly stated he will not stand down before his term ends in 2027.
"The President needs to choose: parliament's dissolution or resignation," said Chenu, one of key representatives of the far right National Rally (RN).
The outgoing PM - the ex-defense chief and a supporter of Macron - was the fifth French PM in under two years.
Context of Government Crisis
French politics has been markedly turbulent since July 2024, when snap parliamentary elections resulted in a hung parliament.
This has made it difficult for any prime minister to secure enough backing to enact new laws.
Bayrou's government was rejected in autumn after the assembly voted against his spending cuts plan, which aimed to cut state costs by 44 billion euros.
Economic Challenges and Market Reaction
The French shortfall reached 5.8 percent of economic output in the current year and its national debt is 114% of GDP.
That is the third largest government debt in the eurozone after two southern European nations, and equal to almost 50k euros for each resident.
Share prices dropped in the Paris bourse after the resignation report emerged on the start of the week.
