France's Premier Lecornu Steps Down Following Under a Month in the Role
The French Premier Lecornu has handed in his resignation, shortly after his cabinet was unveiled.
The French presidency issued a statement after Lecornu met the French President for an hour on Monday morning.
This unexpected development comes only under four weeks after he was appointed prime minister following the dissolution of the prior administration of his predecessor.
Parties across the board in the legislature had fiercely criticised the makeup of the new government, which was very close to Bayrou's, and promised to block its approval.
Pressure for New Vote and Political Instability
Several parties are now clamouring for new parliamentary polls, with certain voices urging Macron to step down as well - even though he has consistently affirmed he will not stand down before his time in office finishes in five years from now.
"Macron needs to choose: calling new elections or leaving office," said Sébastien Chenu, one of leading figures of the National Rally.
Lecornu - the previous military head and a ally of the President - was France's fifth prime minister in less than 24 months.
Context of Government Crisis
France's political landscape has been very volatile since last summer, when snap parliamentary elections resulted in a no clear majority.
This has made it difficult for each PM to secure enough backing to pass any bills.
The former cabinet was rejected in autumn after the assembly declined to support his fiscal tightening package, which aimed to reduce public expenditure by €44bn.
Financial Challenges and Market Response
The nation's budget gap reached nearly 6% of the economy in 2024 and its national debt is 114% of GDP.
That is the third highest public debt in the European monetary union after two southern European nations, and equal to almost 50,000 euros per person.
Markets declined in the French stock market after the resignation report emerged on Monday.
