France's Premier Sébastien Lecornu Steps Down Following Less Than a Month in Office
The nation's PM Sébastien Lecornu has handed in his resignation, under 24 hours after his cabinet was announced.
The French presidency made the announcement after the Prime Minister met President Emmanuel Macron for an 60-minute discussion on the start of the week.
This unexpected development comes only 26 days after he was named premier following the downfall of the previous government of his predecessor.
Political factions in the National Assembly had fiercely criticised the makeup of his ministerial team, which was largely unchanged to the previous one, and promised to block its approval.
Demands for New Vote and Political Instability
A number of factions are now calling for a snap election, with certain voices urging the President to step down as well - although he has repeatedly stated he will not leave before his term ends in the year 2027.
"Macron needs to decide: parliament's dissolution or leaving office," said Sébastien Chenu, one of leading figures of the National Rally.
The outgoing PM - the previous military head and a supporter of Macron - was the fifth premier in a two-year span.
Context of Political Turmoil
French politics has been highly unstable since mid-2024, when early legislative polls resulted in a hung parliament.
This has posed obstacles for any prime minister to secure enough backing to approve legislation.
The former cabinet was rejected in last month after parliament declined to support his fiscal tightening package, which aimed to slash government spending by 44 billion euros.
Economic Pressures and Stock Response
The nation's budget gap stood at 5.8% of GDP in the current year and its national debt is 114 percent of GDP.
That is the number three debt level in the euro area after Italy and Greece, and equivalent to almost 50k euros for each resident.
Markets declined in the Paris exchange after the resignation report broke on Monday.
