The French PM Sébastien Lecornu Resigns Following Under a Month in Power
France's Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu has stepped down, under 24 hours after his ministers was presented.
The Elysée palace issued a statement after the Prime Minister met President Emmanuel Macron for an 60-minute discussion on the start of the week.
This unexpected development comes only less than a month after he was appointed prime minister following the collapse of the previous government of his predecessor.
Parties across the board in the French parliament had strongly opposed the structure of Lecornu's cabinet, which was very close to Bayrou's, and promised to block its approval.
Calls for New Vote and Political Unrest
A number of factions are now calling for a snap election, with some demanding Macron to step down as well - although he has consistently affirmed he will not leave before his time in office finishes in 2027.
"Macron needs to choose: dissolution of parliament or stepping down," said Chenu, one of leading figures of the far right National Rally (RN).
Lecornu - the previous military head and a Macron loyalist - was the fifth French PM in under two years.
Background of Government Crisis
French politics has been highly unstable since mid-2024, when snap parliamentary elections resulted in a no clear majority.
This has created challenges for each PM to obtain required votes to pass any bills.
The former cabinet was rejected in September after parliament voted against his spending cuts plan, which aimed to slash government spending by $51 billion.
Economic Challenges and Stock Response
France's deficit reached nearly 6% of the economy in the current year and its public debt is 114% of GDP.
That is the third highest public debt in the European monetary union after Greece and Italy, and equivalent to almost 50k euros for each resident.
Share prices dropped in the Paris exchange after the news of Lecornu's resignation emerged on Monday.
