The French PM Sébastien Lecornu Tenders Resignation After Less Than a 30-Day Period in Power

The nation's PM Lecornu has resigned, shortly after his ministers was unveiled.

The presidential office made the announcement after Lecornu met the French President for an 60-minute discussion on Monday morning.

This surprising decision comes only less than a month after Lecornu was named premier following the downfall of the previous government of his predecessor.

Parties across the board in the National Assembly had fiercely criticised the composition of his ministerial team, which was mostly similar to Bayrou's, and vowed to reject it.

Demands for New Vote and Government Instability

Several parties are now calling for new parliamentary polls, with some calling for Macron to resign too - despite the fact that he has always said he will not leave before his term ends in 2027.

"Macron needs to choose: dissolution of parliament or stepping down," said Chenu, one of leading figures of the National Rally.

Lecornu - the previous military head and a ally of the President - was the fifth French PM in a two-year span.

Background of Government Crisis

The nation's governance has been highly unstable since July 2024, when sudden national voting resulted in a hung parliament.

This has made it difficult for any prime minister to obtain required votes to enact new laws.

The previous administration was defeated in September after parliament refused to back his austerity budget, which aimed to cut state costs by €44bn.

Economic Challenges and Stock Reaction

The French shortfall reached 5.8 percent of economic output in the current year and its public debt is 114 percent of GDP.

That is the third largest government debt in the European monetary union after Italy and Greece, and equal to almost 50,000 euros per person.

Stocks fell sharply in the French stock market after the announcement about the PM emerged on Monday morning.