The French PM Lecornu Steps Down After Less Than a Month in the Role

The nation's PM Sébastien Lecornu has handed in his resignation, less than a day after his government team was presented.

The presidential office issued a statement after Lecornu met President Emmanuel Macron for an meeting on Monday morning.

This unexpected development comes only under four weeks after Lecornu was appointed prime minister following the collapse of the prior administration of François Bayrou.

Parties across the board in the National Assembly had fiercely criticised the makeup of Lecornu's cabinet, which was mostly similar to the previous one, and threatened to vote it down.

Demands for New Vote and Political Instability

Several parties are now calling for new parliamentary polls, with certain voices calling for the President to also leave office - although he has repeatedly stated he will not leave before his term ends in five years from now.

"Macron needs to decide: calling new elections or resignation," said Chenu, one of key representatives of the RN party.

The outgoing PM - the previous military head and a Macron loyalist - was the fifth French PM in under two years.

Background of Government Turmoil

French politics has been very volatile since mid-2024, when early legislative polls resulted in a deadlocked assembly.

This has created challenges for each PM to garner the necessary support to pass any bills.

Bayrou's government was voted down in September after parliament declined to support his austerity budget, which aimed to slash government spending by €44bn.

Financial Challenges and Stock Reaction

France's deficit stood at 5.8 percent of economic output in 2024 and its public debt is more than the total economic output.

That is the third largest government debt in the European monetary union after Italy and Greece, and equal to almost 50k euros for each resident.

Share prices dropped in the Paris exchange after the news of Lecornu's resignation broke on Monday.