France's Premier Lecornu Steps Down After Less Than a Month in Power
The nation's PM Lecornu has handed in his resignation, less than a day after his ministers was presented.
The French presidency made the announcement after the Prime Minister met the French President for an hour on the start of the week.
This unexpected development comes only 26 days after he was given the PM role following the downfall of the previous government of François Bayrou.
Political factions in the legislature had strongly opposed the makeup of Lecornu's cabinet, which was very close to Bayrou's, and vowed to reject it.
Calls for New Vote and Government Unrest
Several parties are now demanding early elections, with others calling for the President to step down as well - even though he has always said he will not stand down before his mandate concludes in the year 2027.
"Macron needs to decide: parliament's dissolution or leaving office," said Sébastien Chenu, one of prominent members of the far right National Rally (RN).
Lecornu - the former armed forces minister and a supporter of Macron - was the fifth French PM in less than 24 months.
Context of Government Turmoil
France's political landscape has been markedly turbulent since July 2024, when sudden national voting resulted in a hung parliament.
This has posed obstacles for each PM to secure enough backing to enact new laws.
Bayrou's government was voted down in September after the assembly refused to back his spending cuts plan, which aimed to cut state costs by 44 billion euros.
Economic Challenges and Stock Response
The French shortfall hit 5.8 percent of economic output in 2024 and its national debt is 114% of GDP.
That is the number three debt level in the euro area after Italy and Greece, and amounting to almost €50,000 per French citizen.
Stocks fell sharply in the Paris exchange after the announcement about the PM emerged on Monday.
