The French PM Lecornu Tenders Resignation After Less Than a 30-Day Period in the Role
France's Prime Minister Lecornu has stepped down, shortly after his cabinet was announced.
The French presidency issued a statement after Lecornu met President Emmanuel Macron for an hour on the start of the week.
This surprising decision comes only under four weeks after he was appointed prime minister following the collapse of the prior administration of François Bayrou.
Political factions in the National Assembly had fiercely criticised the makeup of the new government, which was largely unchanged to Bayrou's, and promised to block its approval.
Demands for Snap Polls and Government Unrest
A number of factions are now demanding a snap election, with others urging the President to step down as well - even though he has always said he will not stand down before his time in office finishes in the year 2027.
"The President needs to choose: parliament's dissolution or leaving office," said Sébastien Chenu, one of prominent members of the far right National Rally (RN).
Lecornu - the previous military head and a ally of the President - was France's fifth prime minister in under two years.
Context of Government Crisis
French politics has been highly unstable since mid-2024, when sudden national voting resulted in a no clear majority.
This has posed obstacles for any prime minister to garner the necessary support to pass any bills.
The previous administration was defeated in autumn after lawmakers refused to back his austerity budget, which aimed to cut state costs by 44 billion euros.
Financial Pressures and Stock Reaction
France's deficit stood at nearly 6% of the economy 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 €50,000 per French citizen.
Markets declined in the French stock market after the announcement about the PM was released on Monday morning.
