The French PM Sébastien Lecornu Resigns Following Less Than a Month in the Role
The French Premier Sébastien Lecornu has handed in his resignation, less than a day after his cabinet was presented.
The French presidency made the announcement after Lecornu met President Emmanuel Macron for an meeting on Monday morning.
This unexpected development comes only 26 days after he was named premier following the dissolution of the prior administration of François Bayrou.
Political factions in the legislature had strongly opposed the makeup of Lecornu's cabinet, which was very close to the previous one, and promised to block its approval.
Calls for Snap Polls and Government Instability
A number of factions are now demanding a snap election, with certain voices demanding the President to also leave office - even though he has repeatedly stated he will not leave before his mandate concludes in five years from now.
"Macron needs to pick: parliament's dissolution or leaving office," said Chenu, one of prominent members of the National Rally.
Lecornu - the previous military head and a ally of the President - was the fifth French PM in a two-year span.
Context of Political Crisis
France's political landscape has been markedly turbulent since last summer, when sudden national voting resulted in a deadlocked assembly.
This has made it difficult for any prime minister to garner the necessary support to pass any bills.
The former cabinet was defeated in autumn after the assembly declined to support his spending cuts plan, which aimed to cut state costs by €44bn.
Financial Challenges and Stock Reaction
France's deficit stood at 5.8 percent of economic output in 2024 and its public debt is 114% of GDP.
That is the number three debt level in the European monetary union after Italy and Greece, and equal to almost 50k euros for each resident.
Share prices dropped in the Paris bourse after the news of Lecornu's resignation was released on Monday morning.
