France's Premier Lecornu Tenders Resignation Following Under a 30-Day Period in Office
The French Premier Lecornu has handed in his resignation, under 24 hours after his government team was announced.
The French presidency confirmed the news after Lecornu met Macron for an hour on Monday morning.
This unexpected development comes only under four weeks after he was appointed prime minister following the collapse of the previous government of François Bayrou.
Parties across the board in the legislature had fiercely criticised the composition of Lecornu's cabinet, which was very close to Bayrou's, and promised to block its approval.
Pressure for Early Elections and Government Instability
Multiple political groups are now clamouring for new parliamentary polls, with some demanding Macron to resign too - 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: dissolution of parliament or leaving office," said Sébastien Chenu, one of key representatives of the RN party.
Lecornu - the former armed forces minister and a Macron loyalist - was the fifth French PM in less than 24 months.
Context of Government Crisis
French politics has been highly unstable since mid-2024, when snap parliamentary elections resulted in a deadlocked assembly.
This has posed obstacles for any prime minister to obtain required votes to approve legislation.
Bayrou's government was voted down in autumn after parliament refused to back his austerity budget, which aimed to cut state costs by 44 billion euros.
Financial Pressures and Stock Reaction
The French shortfall reached nearly 6% of the economy in the current year and its government debt is 114% of GDP.
That is the third largest government debt in the eurozone after two southern European nations, and amounting to almost 50,000 euros per person.
Stocks fell sharply in the Paris exchange after the resignation report was released on Monday.
