French Prime Minister Lecornu Resigns After Less Than a Month in Power
The nation's PM Lecornu has stepped down, under 24 hours after his government team was presented.
The French presidency made the announcement after the Prime Minister met Macron for an meeting on Monday morning.
This surprising decision comes only under four weeks after Lecornu was appointed prime minister following the downfall of the previous government of François Bayrou.
Various groups in the National Assembly had fiercely criticised the structure of Lecornu's cabinet, which was mostly similar to the previous one, and vowed to reject it.
Pressure for Snap Polls and Political Instability
Several parties are now calling for new parliamentary polls, with some calling for Macron to also leave office - despite the fact that he has always said he will not stand down before his time in office finishes in the year 2027.
"Macron needs to decide: parliament's dissolution or stepping down," said Sébastien Chenu, one of leading figures of the RN party.
The outgoing PM - the former armed forces minister and a Macron loyalist - was the fifth premier in under two years.
Context of Political Turmoil
France's political landscape has been highly unstable since last summer, when early legislative polls resulted in a deadlocked assembly.
This has created challenges for each PM to obtain required votes to approve legislation.
Bayrou's government was defeated in September after the assembly voted against his austerity budget, which aimed to slash government spending by €44bn.
Financial Challenges and Market Response
France's deficit reached 5.8% of GDP in the current year and its national debt is 114% of GDP.
That is the third largest government debt in the euro area after Italy and Greece, and equivalent to almost 50,000 euros per person.
Markets declined in the Paris exchange after the resignation report was released on Monday morning.
