The French PM Lecornu Steps Down After Under a 30-Day Period in the Role
The nation's PM Sébastien Lecornu has stepped down, less than a day after his ministers was presented.
The French presidency issued a statement after Lecornu met President Emmanuel Macron for an 60-minute discussion on Monday morning.
This shock move comes only less than a month after Lecornu was named premier following the downfall of the prior administration of François Bayrou.
Parties across the board in the National Assembly had strongly opposed the makeup of the new government, which was very close to Bayrou's, and threatened to vote it down.
Pressure for New Vote and Government Unrest
Multiple political groups are now demanding early elections, with others demanding the President to step down as well - despite the fact that he has consistently affirmed he will not resign before his mandate concludes in five years from now.
"The President needs to decide: dissolution of parliament or stepping down," said Chenu, one of prominent members of the RN party.
The outgoing PM - the previous military head and a Macron loyalist - was the fifth French PM in under two years.
Background of Government Crisis
The nation's governance has been markedly turbulent since mid-2024, when sudden national voting resulted in a deadlocked assembly.
This has made it difficult for each PM to secure enough backing to enact new laws.
The former cabinet was defeated in autumn after the assembly declined to support his fiscal tightening package, which aimed to reduce public expenditure by $51 billion.
Financial Pressures and Market Reaction
The nation's budget gap stood at nearly 6% of the economy in 2024 and its government debt is more than the total economic output.
That is the number three debt level in the European monetary union after two southern European nations, and amounting to almost €50,000 per French citizen.
Share prices dropped in the Paris bourse after the news of Lecornu's resignation was released on Monday.
