French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu Tenders Resignation Following Under a 30-Day Period in Office
The nation's PM Lecornu has resigned, 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 meeting on the start of the week.
This shock move comes only 26 days after Lecornu was named premier following the collapse of the prior administration of his predecessor.
Various groups in the French parliament had sharply condemned the composition of his ministerial team, which was largely unchanged to Bayrou's, and vowed to reject it.
Demands for New Vote and Government Unrest
A number of factions are now calling for early elections, with others demanding Macron to resign too - although he has repeatedly stated he will not resign before his term ends in five years from now.
"The President needs to pick: parliament's dissolution or stepping down," said Sébastien Chenu, one of prominent members of the National Rally.
The outgoing PM - the previous military head and a ally of the President - was the fifth French PM in under two years.
Context of Government Crisis
The nation's governance has been very volatile since mid-2024, when early legislative polls resulted in a hung parliament.
This has posed obstacles for each PM to garner the necessary support to pass any bills.
The previous administration was voted down in autumn after the assembly refused to back his spending cuts plan, which aimed to slash government spending by €44bn.
Financial Pressures and Stock Response
The nation's budget gap stood at nearly 6% of the economy in 2024 and its national debt is 114% of GDP.
That is the number three debt level in the euro area after two southern European nations, and equivalent to almost 50,000 euros per person.
Stocks fell sharply in the Paris bourse after the resignation report was released on Monday morning.
