French Prime Minister Lecornu Tenders Resignation After Less Than a Month in Office
The nation's PM Lecornu has stepped down, under 24 hours after his ministers was presented.
The French presidency confirmed the news after the Prime Minister met Macron for an hour on Monday morning.
This shock move comes only 26 days after Lecornu was appointed prime minister following the dissolution of the previous government of his predecessor.
Parties across the board in the National Assembly had strongly opposed the structure of his ministerial team, which was mostly similar to the previous one, and promised to block its approval.
Pressure for Snap Polls and Political Unrest
Multiple political groups are now demanding early elections, with others demanding the President to also leave office - even though he has consistently affirmed he will not resign before his mandate concludes in 2027.
"The President needs to pick: calling new elections or leaving office," said Chenu, one of prominent members of the RN party.
The outgoing PM - the previous military head and a supporter of Macron - was France's fifth prime minister in a two-year span.
Background of Government Turmoil
French politics has been very volatile since last summer, when snap parliamentary elections resulted in a no clear majority.
This has posed obstacles for each PM to obtain required votes to enact new laws.
Bayrou's government was defeated in autumn after lawmakers refused to back his austerity budget, which aimed to slash government spending by €44bn.
Economic Challenges and Stock Reaction
France's deficit hit 5.8% of GDP in the current year and its national debt is 114 percent of GDP.
That is the third highest public debt in the European monetary union after Italy and Greece, and equal to almost €50,000 per French citizen.
Stocks fell sharply in the French stock market after the resignation report was released on the start of the week.
