France's Premier Lecornu Tenders Resignation Following Less Than a 30-Day Period in the Role
The French Premier Sébastien Lecornu has handed in his resignation, less than a day after his ministers was presented.
The presidential office made the announcement after the Prime Minister met Macron for an hour on Monday morning.
This surprising decision comes only less than a month after Lecornu was given the PM role following the downfall of the prior administration of his predecessor.
Various groups in the National Assembly had sharply condemned the composition of the new government, which was very close to Bayrou's, and vowed to reject it.
Calls for New Vote and Political Instability
A number of factions are now clamouring for a snap election, with some urging the President to also leave office - even though he has always said he will not leave before his mandate concludes in the year 2027.
"Macron needs to pick: parliament's dissolution or stepping down," said Chenu, one of key representatives of the RN party.
Lecornu - the former armed forces minister and a ally of the President - was the fifth premier in a two-year span.
Background of Political Turmoil
France's political landscape has been highly unstable since July 2024, when snap parliamentary elections resulted in a no clear majority.
This has created challenges for each PM to garner the necessary support to pass any bills.
The previous administration was defeated in September after parliament declined to support his fiscal tightening package, which aimed to reduce public expenditure by $51 billion.
Financial Challenges and Market Reaction
France's deficit reached 5.8 percent of economic output in 2024 and its national debt is more than the total economic output.
That is the third highest public debt in the European monetary union after Italy and Greece, and equivalent to almost 50k euros for each resident.
Share prices dropped in the Paris bourse after the announcement about the PM emerged on Monday morning.
