The French PM Sébastien Lecornu Tenders Resignation After Under a Month in Office
France's Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu has handed in his resignation, shortly after his cabinet was unveiled.
The French presidency confirmed the news after Lecornu met the French President for an 60-minute discussion on Monday morning.
This surprising decision comes only under four weeks after he was appointed prime minister following the collapse of the previous government of François Bayrou.
Various groups in the French parliament had fiercely criticised the structure of Lecornu's cabinet, which was mostly similar to the previous one, and vowed to reject it.
Calls for New Vote and Political Unrest
Several parties are now calling for new parliamentary polls, with others urging Macron to resign too - despite the fact that he has repeatedly stated he will not stand down before his time in office finishes in 2027.
"Macron needs to decide: calling new elections or leaving office," said Chenu, one of key representatives of the far right National Rally (RN).
The outgoing PM - the ex-defense chief and a Macron loyalist - was France's fifth prime minister in less than 24 months.
Context of Political Turmoil
The nation's governance has been highly unstable since July 2024, when sudden national voting resulted in a no clear majority.
This has posed obstacles for each PM to secure enough backing to enact new laws.
The previous administration was defeated in last month after lawmakers voted against his fiscal tightening package, which aimed to reduce public expenditure by €44bn.
Financial Challenges and Stock Reaction
The nation's budget gap stood at 5.8 percent of economic output in the current year and its public debt is more than the total economic output.
That is the number three debt level in the euro area after Greece and Italy, and amounting to almost €50,000 per French citizen.
Stocks fell sharply in the Paris bourse after the news of Lecornu's resignation was released on Monday morning.