The French PM Sébastien Lecornu Tenders Resignation Following Under a Month in Office
France's Prime Minister Lecornu has resigned, shortly after his ministers was unveiled.
The Elysée palace issued a statement after the Prime Minister met President Emmanuel Macron for an meeting on the start of the week.
This unexpected development comes only less than a month after Lecornu was given the PM role following the collapse of the prior administration of François Bayrou.
Political factions in the legislature had fiercely criticised the composition of the new government, which was largely unchanged to the previous one, and promised to block its approval.
Calls for Early Elections and Government Unrest
A number of factions are now calling for new parliamentary polls, with some demanding Macron to step down as well - even though he has always said he will not stand down before his time in office finishes in five years from now.
"The President needs to pick: calling new elections or stepping down," said Chenu, one of key representatives of the National Rally.
The outgoing PM - the former armed forces minister and a Macron loyalist - was France's fifth prime minister in under two years.
Context of Government Turmoil
France's political landscape has been highly unstable since July 2024, when snap parliamentary elections resulted in a deadlocked assembly.
This has made it difficult for each PM to secure enough backing to pass any bills.
Bayrou's government was voted down in autumn after lawmakers voted against his spending cuts plan, which aimed to slash government spending by €44bn.
Economic Pressures and Market Response
The French shortfall hit nearly 6% of the economy in the current year and its public debt is 114% of GDP.
That is the number three debt level in the eurozone after Greece and Italy, and equal to almost 50,000 euros per person.
Stocks fell sharply in the French stock market after the resignation report was released on the start of the week.
