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 presidential office confirmed the news after Lecornu met Macron for an hour on the start of the week.
This shock move comes only 26 days after Lecornu was given the PM role following the collapse of the previous government of his predecessor.
Political factions in the legislature had sharply condemned the makeup of Lecornu's cabinet, which was very close to the previous one, and vowed to reject it.
Calls for Early Elections and Political Instability
Multiple political groups are now clamouring for new parliamentary polls, with some demanding Macron to also leave office - even though he has consistently affirmed he will not leave before his time in office finishes in 2027.
"Macron needs to choose: calling new elections or resignation," said Sébastien Chenu, one of key representatives of the far right National Rally (RN).
The outgoing PM - the previous military head and a supporter of Macron - was the fifth premier in under two years.
Background of Government Turmoil
The nation's governance has been markedly turbulent since last summer, when sudden national voting resulted in a hung parliament.
This has made it difficult for every premier to garner the necessary support to enact new laws.
Bayrou's government was rejected in September after lawmakers refused to back his austerity budget, which aimed to reduce public expenditure by $51 billion.
Economic Pressures and Stock Reaction
The nation's budget gap 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 two southern European nations, and equal to almost 50,000 euros per person.
Share prices dropped in the Paris bourse after the announcement about the PM was released on Monday.
