France's Premier Lecornu Steps Down After Less Than a Month in the Role
The nation's PM Lecornu has stepped down, shortly after his cabinet was announced.
The Elysée palace made the announcement after the Prime Minister met the French President for an meeting on Monday morning.
This surprising decision comes only less than a month after Lecornu was given the PM role following the downfall of the previous government of François Bayrou.
Parties across the board in the French parliament had fiercely criticised the structure of Lecornu's cabinet, which was mostly similar to Bayrou's, and vowed to reject it.
Demands for New Vote and Government Instability
A number of factions are now clamouring for early elections, with certain voices calling for the President to also leave office - even though he has consistently affirmed he will not stand down before his mandate concludes in five years from now.
"Macron needs to decide: parliament's dissolution or resignation," said Chenu, one of prominent members of the National Rally.
The outgoing PM - the previous military head and a supporter of Macron - was the fifth French PM in under two years.
Background of Political Crisis
The nation's governance has been markedly turbulent since July 2024, when early legislative polls resulted in a deadlocked assembly.
This has created challenges for each PM to obtain required votes to approve legislation.
Bayrou's government was defeated in September after the assembly voted against his fiscal tightening package, which aimed to slash government spending by €44bn.
Economic Pressures and Stock Reaction
The French shortfall reached 5.8 percent of economic output in 2024 and its government debt is 114% of GDP.
That is the number three debt level in the euro area after two southern European nations, and equal to almost 50k euros for each resident.
Share prices dropped in the Paris bourse after the resignation report was released on Monday.
