France's Premier Lecornu Resigns After Less Than a Month in Office
The nation's PM Sébastien Lecornu has handed in his resignation, under 24 hours after his ministers was unveiled.
The presidential office confirmed the news after the Prime Minister met Macron for an 60-minute discussion on the start of the week.
This unexpected development comes only under four weeks after he was named premier following the downfall of the prior administration of François Bayrou.
Various groups in the legislature had strongly opposed the composition of the new government, which was mostly similar to the previous one, and threatened to vote it down.
Calls for Early Elections and Political Unrest
Multiple political groups are now calling for a snap election, with some urging the President to step down as well - even though he has repeatedly stated he will not resign before his term ends in 2027.
"Macron needs to pick: calling new elections or leaving office," said Sébastien Chenu, one of leading figures of the RN party.
The outgoing PM - the ex-defense chief and a ally of the President - was the fifth French PM in a two-year span.
Context of Government Crisis
France's political landscape has been highly unstable since July 2024, when snap parliamentary elections resulted in a deadlocked assembly.
This has posed obstacles for any prime minister to garner the necessary support to approve legislation.
The former cabinet was voted down in last month after lawmakers declined to support his austerity budget, which aimed to cut state costs by $51 billion.
Economic Pressures and Stock Response
France's deficit hit 5.8% of GDP in 2024 and its government debt is 114 percent of GDP.
That is the third largest government debt in the euro area after Italy and Greece, and amounting to almost 50,000 euros per person.
Share prices dropped in the French stock market after the resignation report broke on Monday.
