France's Premier Sébastien Lecornu Steps Down After Less Than a 30-Day Period in Office
France's Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu has stepped down, less than a day after his ministers was announced.
The French presidency made the announcement after the Prime Minister met the French President for an 60-minute discussion on Monday morning.
This shock move comes only under four weeks after he was appointed prime minister following the collapse of the prior administration of his predecessor.
Parties across the board in the French parliament had fiercely criticised the structure of Lecornu's cabinet, which was very close to the previous one, and promised to block its approval.
Calls for Early Elections and Government Unrest
A number of factions are now demanding a snap election, with others demanding Macron to step down as well - although he has consistently affirmed he will not leave before his time in office finishes in five years from now.
"Macron needs to pick: calling new elections or leaving office," said Chenu, one of key representatives of the National Rally.
Lecornu - the ex-defense chief and a supporter of Macron - was France's fifth prime minister in a two-year span.
Background of Government Crisis
French politics has been highly unstable since July 2024, when early legislative polls resulted in a deadlocked assembly.
This has made it difficult for each PM to garner the necessary support to pass any bills.
The previous administration was voted down in autumn after lawmakers declined to support his spending cuts plan, which aimed to reduce public expenditure by €44bn.
Economic Pressures and Market Reaction
The nation's budget gap reached nearly 6% of the economy in the current year and its public debt is 114 percent of GDP.
That is the third largest government debt in the euro area after Greece and Italy, and amounting to almost 50,000 euros per person.
Share prices dropped in the Paris exchange after the announcement about the PM emerged on Monday.
