The French PM Sébastien Lecornu Resigns After Under a 30-Day Period in Office
The French Premier Lecornu has stepped down, shortly after his ministers was presented.
The French presidency confirmed the news after the Prime Minister met President Emmanuel Macron for an 60-minute discussion on Monday morning.
This surprising decision comes only 26 days after Lecornu was given the PM role following the dissolution of the prior administration of his predecessor.
Various groups in the National Assembly had strongly opposed the composition of the new government, which was mostly similar to Bayrou's, and vowed to reject it.
Calls for New Vote and Political Unrest
Several parties are now calling for a snap election, with certain voices urging Macron to also leave office - despite the fact that he has repeatedly stated he will not stand down before his mandate concludes in 2027.
"The President needs to pick: parliament's dissolution or leaving office," said Sébastien Chenu, one of leading figures of the RN party.
Lecornu - the previous military head and a supporter of Macron - was the fifth premier in a two-year span.
Context of Political Turmoil
France's political landscape has been very volatile since mid-2024, when snap parliamentary elections resulted in a deadlocked assembly.
This has created challenges for any prime minister to secure enough backing to pass any bills.
The former cabinet was rejected in September after lawmakers declined to support his austerity budget, which aimed to slash government spending by $51 billion.
Economic Pressures and Market Reaction
France's deficit stood at nearly 6% of the economy in the current year and its public debt is 114 percent of GDP.
That is the number three debt level in the euro area after Greece and Italy, and equal to almost 50k euros for each resident.
Markets declined in the Paris exchange after the resignation report was released on Monday.
