The French PM Lecornu Steps Down Following Under a 30-Day Period in Power
France's Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu has stepped down, less than a day after his cabinet was unveiled.
The Elysée palace issued a statement after the Prime Minister met President Emmanuel Macron for an meeting on the start of the week.
This shock move comes only less than a month after Lecornu was given the PM role following the dissolution of the prior administration of François Bayrou.
Parties across the board in the French parliament had sharply condemned the composition of his ministerial team, which was very close to Bayrou's, and promised to block its approval.
Demands for New Vote and Political Unrest
A number of factions are now demanding new parliamentary polls, with certain voices demanding Macron to resign too - despite the fact that he has repeatedly stated he will not leave before his term ends in 2027.
"The President needs to choose: calling new elections or stepping down," said Chenu, one of prominent members of the far right National Rally (RN).
Lecornu - the previous military head and a supporter of Macron - was the fifth premier in a two-year span.
Context of Government Crisis
French politics has been very volatile since mid-2024, when sudden national voting resulted in a deadlocked assembly.
This has posed obstacles for each PM to obtain required votes to approve legislation.
The previous administration was rejected in September after parliament declined to support his fiscal tightening package, which aimed to cut state costs by €44bn.
Economic Challenges and Stock Response
The French shortfall stood at 5.8 percent of economic output in the current year and its government debt is 114% of GDP.
That is the third largest government debt in the euro area after Italy and Greece, and equivalent to almost 50k euros for each resident.
Share prices dropped in the Paris bourse after the resignation report emerged on Monday morning.