The French PM Lecornu Resigns After Less Than a Month in Power
The nation's PM Lecornu has stepped down, under 24 hours after his ministers was announced.
The presidential office issued a statement after Lecornu met Macron for an hour on the start of the week.
This shock move comes only less than a month after he was given the PM role following the collapse of the previous government of his predecessor.
Parties across the board in the French parliament had strongly opposed the structure of his ministerial team, which was largely unchanged to Bayrou's, and promised to block its approval.
Calls for Snap Polls and Political Unrest
A number of factions are now calling for a snap election, with others calling for Macron to also leave office - despite the fact that he has consistently affirmed he will not leave before his term ends in five years from now.
"The President needs to pick: calling new elections or leaving office," said Sébastien Chenu, one of leading figures of the far right National Rally (RN).
Lecornu - the former armed forces minister and a supporter of Macron - was the fifth premier in less than 24 months.
Background of Government Crisis
French politics has been highly unstable since mid-2024, when early legislative polls resulted in a deadlocked assembly.
This has created challenges for any prime minister to secure enough backing to approve legislation.
The previous administration was voted down in last month after the assembly voted against his fiscal tightening package, which aimed to reduce public expenditure by $51 billion.
Financial Pressures and Market Response
France's deficit stood at nearly 6% of the economy in the current year and its national debt is 114% of GDP.
That is the third highest public debt in the eurozone after Greece and Italy, and amounting to almost €50,000 per French citizen.
Stocks fell sharply in the French stock market after the resignation report broke on the start of the week.