French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu Steps Down After Under a 30-Day Period in the Role
France's Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu has resigned, under 24 hours after his cabinet was presented.
The French presidency made the announcement after Lecornu met Macron for an hour on the start of the week.
This unexpected development comes only under four weeks after Lecornu was appointed prime minister following the downfall of the prior administration of his predecessor.
Various groups in the legislature had fiercely criticised the makeup of the new government, which was very close to the previous one, and vowed to reject it.
Pressure for New Vote and Political Unrest
Multiple political groups are now calling for early elections, with others urging Macron to step down as well - although he has consistently affirmed he will not stand down before his time in office finishes in the year 2027.
"Macron needs to pick: dissolution of parliament or resignation," said Chenu, one of prominent members of the National Rally.
The outgoing PM - the former armed forces minister and a Macron loyalist - was the fifth French PM in a two-year span.
Context of Government Crisis
France's political landscape has been very volatile since July 2024, when early legislative polls resulted in a hung parliament.
This has created challenges for each PM to obtain required votes to approve legislation.
The former cabinet was voted down in autumn after the assembly voted against his spending cuts plan, which aimed to slash government spending by €44bn.
Financial Pressures and Stock Reaction
The French shortfall stood at nearly 6% of the economy in 2024 and its national debt is more than the total economic output.
That is the third largest government debt in the European monetary union after two southern European nations, and equal to almost €50,000 per French citizen.
Markets declined in the French stock market after the news of Lecornu's resignation broke on Monday.
