France's Premier Lecornu Resigns Following Under a 30-Day Period in Power
France's Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu has handed in his resignation, less than a day after his cabinet was announced.
The Elysée palace confirmed the news after Lecornu met Macron for an hour on Monday morning.
This unexpected development comes only under four weeks after Lecornu was appointed prime minister following the dissolution of the previous government of François Bayrou.
Various groups in the National Assembly had sharply condemned the composition of his ministerial team, which was largely unchanged to the previous one, and promised to block its approval.
Pressure for Snap Polls and Political Instability
Multiple political groups are now demanding a snap election, with some urging the President to also leave office - even though he has consistently affirmed he will not leave before his term ends in five years from now.
"The President needs to choose: dissolution of parliament or resignation," said Chenu, one of leading figures of the far right National Rally (RN).
The outgoing PM - the ex-defense chief and a Macron loyalist - was the fifth French PM in less than 24 months.
Context of Political Turmoil
France's political landscape has been highly unstable since July 2024, when sudden national voting resulted in a deadlocked assembly.
This has created challenges for every premier to obtain required votes to enact new laws.
Bayrou's government was rejected in last month after lawmakers declined to support his spending cuts plan, which aimed to cut state costs by $51 billion.
Economic Pressures and Stock Response
France's deficit stood at 5.8% of GDP in 2024 and its public debt is 114% of GDP.
That is the number three debt level in the euro area after two southern European nations, and equal to almost 50k euros for each resident.
Markets declined in the French stock market after the resignation report emerged on the start of the week.
