The French PM Sébastien Lecornu Resigns Following Less Than a 30-Day Period in the Role
The French Premier Lecornu has resigned, less than a day after his government team was presented.
The French presidency confirmed the news after Lecornu met President Emmanuel Macron for an 60-minute discussion on the start of the week.
This unexpected development comes only less than a month after Lecornu was appointed prime minister following the collapse of the prior administration of his predecessor.
Various groups in the French parliament had strongly opposed the structure of his ministerial team, which was mostly similar to Bayrou's, and threatened to vote it down.
Calls for New Vote and Political Instability
Several parties are now clamouring for new parliamentary polls, with others urging the President to step down as well - despite the fact that he has repeatedly stated he will not stand down before his mandate concludes in 2027.
"The President needs to pick: dissolution of parliament or leaving office," said Chenu, one of prominent members of the RN party.
The outgoing PM - the ex-defense chief and a Macron loyalist - was the fifth French PM in less than 24 months.
Context of Government Crisis
The nation's governance has been very volatile since July 2024, when early legislative polls resulted in a no clear majority.
This has posed obstacles for each PM to secure enough backing to enact new laws.
Bayrou's government was rejected in autumn after parliament voted against his austerity budget, which aimed to slash government spending by €44bn.
Financial Pressures and Market Reaction
The nation's budget gap stood at 5.8 percent of economic output in the current year and its public debt is more than the total economic output.
That is the third highest public debt in the euro area after Italy and Greece, and amounting to almost 50k euros for each resident.
Markets declined in the French stock market after the announcement about the PM emerged on Monday.