French Prime Minister Lecornu Tenders Resignation After Less Than a 30-Day Period in the Role
The nation's PM Sébastien Lecornu has handed in his resignation, less than a day after his ministers was announced.
The Elysée palace confirmed the news after the Prime Minister met Macron for an hour on the start of the week.
This shock move comes only less than a month after Lecornu was given the PM role following the collapse of the previous government of his predecessor.
Political factions in the French parliament had strongly opposed the structure of Lecornu's cabinet, which was largely unchanged to Bayrou's, and vowed to reject it.
Calls for Snap Polls and Political Instability
Multiple political groups are now demanding a snap election, with some calling for Macron to resign too - although he has consistently affirmed he will not leave before his term ends in five years from now.
"The President needs to choose: dissolution of parliament or resignation," said Sébastien Chenu, one of prominent members of the National Rally.
Lecornu - the ex-defense chief and a supporter of Macron - was the fifth premier in under two years.
Background of Political Turmoil
French politics has been very volatile since July 2024, when early legislative polls resulted in a deadlocked assembly.
This has created challenges for every premier to secure enough backing to approve legislation.
Bayrou's government was defeated in autumn after lawmakers voted against his fiscal tightening package, which aimed to reduce public expenditure by 44 billion euros.
Financial Pressures and Stock Reaction
The nation's budget gap hit 5.8 percent of economic output in the current year and its public debt is 114 percent of GDP.
That is the third highest public debt in the eurozone after Greece and Italy, and equivalent to almost 50k euros for each resident.
Markets declined in the French stock market after the announcement about the PM emerged on the start of the week.
