The French PM Lecornu Steps Down Following Less Than a Month in Office
France's Prime Minister Lecornu has stepped down, under 24 hours after his government team was unveiled.
The French presidency issued a statement after the Prime Minister met Macron for an meeting on Monday morning.
This shock move comes only under four weeks after he was appointed prime minister following the dissolution of the prior administration of his predecessor.
Various groups 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.
Calls for Early Elections and Political Instability
Multiple political groups are now calling for new parliamentary polls, with others demanding Macron to also leave office - even though he has consistently affirmed he will not stand down before his term ends in 2027.
"The President needs to pick: dissolution of parliament or leaving office," said Chenu, one of key representatives of the National Rally.
The outgoing PM - the previous military head and a Macron loyalist - was the fifth premier in under two years.
Background of Government Crisis
The nation's governance has been very volatile since mid-2024, when early legislative polls resulted in a deadlocked assembly.
This has created challenges for every premier to secure enough backing to pass any bills.
The previous administration was voted down in autumn after lawmakers refused to back his austerity budget, which aimed to slash government spending by $51 billion.
Economic Challenges and Stock Reaction
The nation's budget gap stood at nearly 6% of the economy in 2024 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 equal to almost €50,000 per French citizen.
Share prices dropped in the French stock market after the news of Lecornu's resignation emerged on Monday morning.
