The French PM Lecornu Steps Down Following Less Than a 30-Day Period in the Role
The nation's PM Lecornu has resigned, shortly after his cabinet was presented.
The French presidency made the announcement after Lecornu met the French President for an hour on the start of the week.
This shock move comes only 26 days after he was appointed prime minister following the dissolution of the previous government of his predecessor.
Political factions in the National Assembly had strongly opposed the structure of the new government, which was mostly similar to the previous one, and vowed to reject it.
Calls for New Vote and Government Unrest
Multiple political groups are now calling for early elections, with others urging Macron to resign too - despite the fact that he has consistently affirmed he will not resign before his time in office finishes in the year 2027.
"Macron needs to decide: calling new elections or leaving office," said Sébastien Chenu, one of key representatives of the National Rally.
Lecornu - the previous military head and a ally of the President - was the fifth premier in under two years.
Context of Government Crisis
The nation's governance has been very volatile since July 2024, when sudden national voting resulted in a deadlocked assembly.
This has made it difficult for any prime minister to garner the necessary support to enact new laws.
The former cabinet was rejected in autumn after the assembly declined to support his fiscal tightening package, which aimed to cut state costs by €44bn.
Economic Pressures and Market Response
The nation's budget gap stood at 5.8 percent of economic output in the current year and its government debt is more than the total economic output.
That is the third largest government debt in the euro area after Italy and Greece, and amounting to almost 50,000 euros per person.
Stocks fell sharply in the Paris exchange after the news of Lecornu's resignation broke on Monday.
