The French PM Sébastien Lecornu Steps Down After Under a 30-Day Period in the Role
France's Prime Minister Lecornu has handed in his resignation, less than a day after his ministers was unveiled.
The Elysée palace confirmed the news after the Prime Minister met the French President for an 60-minute discussion on Monday morning.
This shock move comes only less than a month after he was named premier following the downfall of the prior administration of his predecessor.
Parties across the board in the legislature had sharply condemned the structure of Lecornu's cabinet, which was mostly similar to Bayrou's, and promised to block its approval.
Calls for Early Elections and Government Unrest
Several parties are now clamouring for early elections, with some urging the President to resign too - although he has repeatedly stated he will not leave before his time in office finishes in the year 2027.
"Macron needs to choose: parliament's dissolution or stepping down," 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 a two-year span.
Context of Government Turmoil
French politics has been markedly turbulent since mid-2024, when sudden national voting resulted in a hung parliament.
This has posed obstacles for every premier to secure enough backing to enact new laws.
Bayrou's government was defeated in last month after lawmakers voted against his austerity budget, which aimed to slash government spending by $51 billion.
Financial Pressures and Market Reaction
The nation's budget gap hit 5.8% of GDP in 2024 and its national debt is 114% of GDP.
That is the third largest government debt in the euro area after Italy and Greece, and equivalent to almost 50k euros for each resident.
Stocks fell sharply in the Paris bourse after the announcement about the PM broke on Monday morning.