The French PM Lecornu Resigns After Under a 30-Day Period in Power
The nation's PM Lecornu has stepped down, less than a day after his ministers was presented.
The Elysée palace issued a statement after Lecornu met President Emmanuel Macron for an meeting on the start of the week.
This surprising decision comes only less than a month after he was named premier following the dissolution of the previous government of François Bayrou.
Various groups in the French parliament had fiercely criticised the composition of his ministerial team, which was mostly similar to Bayrou's, and vowed to reject it.
Calls for New Vote and Government Instability
Multiple political groups are now calling for new parliamentary polls, with others calling for Macron to step down as well - although he has repeatedly stated he will not leave before his mandate concludes in 2027.
"The President needs to pick: dissolution of parliament or leaving office," said Sébastien Chenu, one of key representatives of the far right National Rally (RN).
Lecornu - the previous military head and a Macron loyalist - was the fifth French PM in less than 24 months.
Background of Political Crisis
France's political landscape has been markedly turbulent since mid-2024, when sudden national voting resulted in a hung parliament.
This has made it difficult for any prime minister to garner the necessary support to approve legislation.
The previous administration was defeated in last month after the assembly declined to support his austerity budget, which aimed to slash government spending by 44 billion euros.
Economic Challenges and Market Response
The nation's budget gap hit nearly 6% of the economy in 2024 and its government debt is more than the total economic output.
That is the third highest public debt in the European monetary union after Greece and Italy, and amounting to almost €50,000 per French citizen.
Share prices dropped in the French stock market after the resignation report emerged on Monday.
