France's Premier Lecornu Steps Down Following Less Than a Month in Office
France's Prime Minister Lecornu has handed in his resignation, shortly after his ministers was announced.
The presidential office issued a statement after Lecornu met the French President for an meeting on the start of the week.
This unexpected development comes only under four weeks after he was appointed prime minister following the dissolution of the previous government of François Bayrou.
Parties across the board in the National Assembly had strongly opposed the composition of Lecornu's cabinet, which was very close to the previous one, and vowed to reject it.
Demands for New Vote and Political Unrest
A number of factions are now calling for new parliamentary polls, with certain voices demanding the President to step down as well - although he has consistently affirmed he will not leave before his time in office finishes in the year 2027.
"Macron needs to choose: dissolution of parliament or stepping down," said Chenu, one of leading figures of the far right National Rally (RN).
The outgoing PM - the former armed forces minister and a Macron loyalist - was the fifth French PM in a two-year span.
Background of Political Turmoil
The nation's governance has been highly unstable since July 2024, when snap parliamentary elections resulted in a hung parliament.
This has posed obstacles for any prime minister to obtain required votes to approve legislation.
The former cabinet was rejected in autumn after the assembly declined to support his austerity budget, which aimed to slash government spending by $51 billion.
Financial Challenges and Market Response
France's deficit reached 5.8 percent of economic output in the current year and its national debt is 114% of GDP.
That is the number three debt level in the eurozone after two southern European nations, and amounting to almost 50,000 euros per person.
Stocks fell sharply in the French stock market after the resignation report broke on Monday.
