The French PM Sébastien Lecornu Resigns After Less Than a 30-Day Period in Power
The French Premier Sébastien Lecornu has stepped down, under 24 hours after his government team was unveiled.
The presidential office made the announcement after the Prime Minister met the French President for an hour on the start of the week.
This surprising decision comes only 26 days after he was named premier following the dissolution of the previous government of François Bayrou.
Parties across the board in the legislature had sharply condemned the structure of Lecornu's cabinet, which was largely unchanged to the previous one, and promised to block its approval.
Calls for Early Elections and Political Unrest
A number of factions are now clamouring for a snap election, with others demanding the President to resign too - although he has always said he will not stand down before his term ends in five years from now.
"The President needs to pick: dissolution of parliament or resignation," said Sébastien Chenu, one of key representatives of the RN party.
Lecornu - the ex-defense chief and a ally of the President - was France's fifth prime minister in under two years.
Background of Political Turmoil
The nation's governance has been markedly turbulent since July 2024, when early legislative polls resulted in a hung parliament.
This has created challenges for any prime minister to garner the necessary support to enact new laws.
The former cabinet was rejected in autumn after parliament refused to back his spending cuts plan, which aimed to cut state costs by $51 billion.
Economic Challenges and Stock Response
The French shortfall reached nearly 6% of the economy in 2024 and its national debt is 114% of GDP.
That is the number three debt level in the European monetary union after Greece and Italy, and equal to almost 50,000 euros per person.
Markets declined in the French stock market after the news of Lecornu's resignation emerged on the start of the week.