France's Premier Lecornu Tenders Resignation Following Under a Month in the Role
The French Premier Sébastien Lecornu has stepped down, less than a day after his ministers was unveiled.
The French presidency issued a statement after Lecornu met the French President for an 60-minute discussion on the start of the week.
This unexpected development comes only less than a month after Lecornu was given the PM role following the dissolution of the previous government of his predecessor.
Political factions in the legislature had sharply condemned the composition of his ministerial team, which was largely unchanged to the previous one, and threatened to vote it down.
Pressure for Early Elections and Political Unrest
A number of factions are now clamouring for early elections, with certain voices urging the President to step down as well - although he has always said he will not stand down before his mandate concludes in 2027.
"Macron needs to pick: dissolution of parliament or resignation," said Chenu, one of leading figures of the RN party.
The outgoing PM - the former armed forces minister and a ally of the President - was the fifth French PM in less than 24 months.
Context of Government Crisis
French politics has been very volatile since mid-2024, when sudden national voting resulted in a hung parliament.
This has created challenges for each PM to secure enough backing to pass any bills.
Bayrou's government was voted down in last month after lawmakers declined to support his spending cuts plan, which aimed to slash government spending by 44 billion euros.
Financial Pressures and Stock Response
France's deficit hit 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 two southern European nations, and equal to almost 50,000 euros per person.
Markets declined in the French stock market after the resignation report emerged on Monday morning.
