French Prime Minister Lecornu Steps Down After Less Than a Month in the Role
The French Premier Lecornu has handed in his resignation, shortly after his government team was unveiled.
The French presidency confirmed the news after Lecornu met Macron for an meeting on Monday morning.
This shock move comes only less than a month after he was given the PM role following the collapse of the prior administration of François Bayrou.
Political factions in the legislature had fiercely criticised the structure of the new government, which was largely unchanged to Bayrou's, and threatened to vote it down.
Calls for Snap Polls and Government Unrest
Multiple political groups are now clamouring for early elections, with others calling for the President to step down as well - despite the fact that he has repeatedly stated he will not resign before his mandate concludes in the year 2027.
"The President needs to choose: parliament's dissolution or stepping down," said Chenu, one of leading figures of the RN party.
Lecornu - the ex-defense chief and a Macron loyalist - was the fifth French PM in a two-year span.
Background of Political Turmoil
The nation's governance has been very volatile since July 2024, when snap parliamentary elections resulted in a deadlocked assembly.
This has posed obstacles for any prime minister to secure enough backing to approve legislation.
Bayrou's government was rejected in autumn after the assembly voted against his fiscal tightening package, which aimed to cut state costs by $51 billion.
Financial Pressures and Market Reaction
France's deficit hit 5.8 percent of economic output in the current year and its government debt is 114% of GDP.
That is the number three debt level in the euro area after two southern European nations, and equal to almost 50k euros for each resident.
Share prices dropped in the Paris bourse after the news of Lecornu's resignation was released on the start of the week.
