The French PM Sébastien Lecornu Steps Down After Under a Month in Power
France's Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu has handed in his resignation, under 24 hours after his ministers was presented.
The French presidency confirmed the news after the Prime Minister met Macron for an 60-minute discussion on the start of the week.
This shock move comes only under four weeks after he was named premier following the downfall of the previous government of his predecessor.
Various groups in the National Assembly had fiercely criticised the structure of his ministerial team, which was largely unchanged to Bayrou's, and threatened to vote it down.
Demands for Snap Polls and Government Instability
A number of factions are now demanding a snap election, with certain voices urging Macron to also leave office - even though he has consistently affirmed he will not stand down before his mandate concludes in five years from now.
"The President needs to pick: parliament's dissolution or resignation," said Chenu, one of key representatives of the RN party.
The outgoing PM - the former armed forces minister and a supporter of Macron - was the fifth French PM in under two years.
Background of Government Crisis
The nation's governance has been markedly turbulent since mid-2024, when early legislative polls resulted in a hung parliament.
This has created challenges for every premier to obtain required votes to enact new laws.
Bayrou's government was defeated in last month after parliament refused to back his fiscal tightening package, which aimed to reduce public expenditure by 44 billion euros.
Economic Pressures and Market Response
France's deficit hit nearly 6% of the economy in the current year and its national debt is 114% of GDP.
That is the third highest public debt in the European monetary union after two southern European nations, and equal to almost 50,000 euros per person.
Markets declined in the Paris exchange after the announcement about the PM emerged on Monday.
