The French PM Lecornu Resigns After Less Than a Month in Office
The nation's PM Lecornu has stepped down, under 24 hours after his government team was presented.
The presidential office issued a statement after Lecornu met President Emmanuel Macron for an hour on the start of the week.
This shock move comes only 26 days after he was named premier following the collapse of the previous government of his predecessor.
Various groups in the National Assembly had strongly opposed the structure of the new government, which was mostly similar to the previous one, and threatened to vote it down.
Calls for Snap Polls and Government Unrest
Several parties are now calling for new parliamentary polls, with some urging Macron to resign too - despite the fact that he has always said he will not stand down before his term ends in the year 2027.
"The President needs to pick: parliament's dissolution or leaving office," said Chenu, one of key representatives of the RN party.
Lecornu - the previous military head and a supporter of Macron - was the fifth French PM in under two years.
Context of Government Turmoil
France's political landscape has been highly unstable since last summer, when sudden national voting resulted in a deadlocked assembly.
This has made it difficult for each PM to garner the necessary support to pass any bills.
The former cabinet was rejected in September after lawmakers voted against his fiscal tightening package, which aimed to slash government spending by $51 billion.
Economic Challenges and Market Reaction
The nation's budget gap reached nearly 6% of the economy in 2024 and its public debt is 114% of GDP.
That is the number three debt level in the eurozone after two southern European nations, and equal to almost €50,000 per French citizen.
Stocks fell sharply in the Paris exchange after the news of Lecornu's resignation broke on Monday morning.
