France's Premier Sébastien Lecornu Steps Down After Under a 30-Day Period in Office
The French Premier Sébastien Lecornu has handed in his resignation, less than a day after his cabinet was unveiled.
The presidential office issued a statement after the Prime Minister met Macron for an meeting on Monday morning.
This unexpected development comes only less than a month after Lecornu was given the PM role following the collapse of the previous government of his predecessor.
Various groups in the National Assembly had fiercely criticised the composition of his ministerial team, which was mostly similar to the previous one, and vowed to reject it.
Pressure for Snap Polls and Political Instability
A number of factions are now demanding new parliamentary polls, with others calling for Macron to resign too - although he has always said he will not leave before his time in office finishes in the year 2027.
"Macron needs to choose: dissolution of parliament or resignation," said Sébastien Chenu, one of leading figures of the far right National Rally (RN).
Lecornu - the ex-defense chief and a supporter of Macron - was the fifth French PM in a two-year span.
Context of Political Turmoil
French politics has been markedly turbulent since last summer, when early legislative polls resulted in a hung parliament.
This has created challenges for any prime minister to secure enough backing to enact new laws.
The former cabinet was rejected in last month after the assembly refused to back his fiscal tightening package, which aimed to reduce public expenditure by €44bn.
Economic Pressures and Stock Response
France's deficit hit 5.8 percent of economic output in 2024 and its public debt is more than the total economic output.
That is the third largest government debt in the European monetary union after Greece and Italy, and equal to almost 50,000 euros per person.
Share prices dropped in the Paris bourse after the news of Lecornu's resignation was released on the start of the week.
