The French PM Lecornu Tenders Resignation After Under a Month in Power
The French Premier Lecornu has handed in his resignation, under 24 hours after his government team was unveiled.
The presidential office made the announcement after Lecornu met Macron for an 60-minute discussion on the start of the week.
This surprising decision comes only under four weeks after Lecornu was given the PM role following the dissolution of the previous government of his predecessor.
Various groups in the legislature had fiercely criticised the makeup of the new government, which was very close to Bayrou's, and threatened to vote it down.
Demands for Early Elections and Government Unrest
A number of factions are now calling for early elections, with others calling for the President to step down as well - even though he has repeatedly stated he will not stand down before his term ends in 2027.
"The President needs to choose: calling new elections or leaving office," said Chenu, one of key representatives of the RN party.
The outgoing PM - the previous military head and a Macron loyalist - was France's fifth prime minister in less than 24 months.
Background of Political Crisis
France's political landscape has been highly unstable since July 2024, when snap parliamentary elections resulted in a deadlocked assembly.
This has made it difficult for every premier to secure enough backing to pass any bills.
The former cabinet was rejected in last month after parliament refused to back his spending cuts plan, which aimed to reduce public expenditure by €44bn.
Financial Pressures and Stock Reaction
The nation's budget gap hit 5.8 percent of economic output in the current year and its public debt is 114% of GDP.
That is the third largest government debt in the European monetary union after two southern European nations, and amounting to almost 50,000 euros per person.
Share prices dropped in the Paris exchange after the news of Lecornu's resignation emerged on the start of the week.
