France's Premier Lecornu Resigns After Less Than a 30-Day Period in the Role
The French Premier Sébastien Lecornu has handed in his resignation, under 24 hours after his government team was announced.
The presidential office confirmed the news after the Prime Minister met Macron for an meeting on the start of the week.
This shock move comes only under four weeks after he was named premier following the collapse of the previous government of François Bayrou.
Parties across the board in the National Assembly had sharply condemned the composition of his ministerial team, which was very close to Bayrou's, and vowed to reject it.
Calls for Snap Polls and Government Unrest
A number of factions are now calling for a snap election, with certain voices urging the President to step down as well - despite the fact that he has consistently affirmed he will not resign before his time in office finishes in the year 2027.
"The President needs to decide: dissolution of parliament or resignation," said Sébastien Chenu, one of prominent members of the far right National Rally (RN).
The outgoing PM - the ex-defense chief and a supporter of Macron - was the fifth premier in under two years.
Context of Political Crisis
The nation's governance has been markedly turbulent since July 2024, when early legislative polls resulted in a no clear majority.
This has made it difficult for every premier to garner the necessary support to enact new laws.
The former cabinet was rejected in autumn after the assembly declined to support his austerity budget, which aimed to reduce public expenditure by €44bn.
Financial Pressures and Market Response
The French shortfall hit 5.8 percent of economic output in the current year and its national debt is more than the total economic output.
That is the third highest public debt in the European monetary union after Italy and Greece, and equivalent to almost 50k euros for each resident.
Stocks fell sharply in the French stock market after the resignation report emerged on Monday.
