France's Premier Lecornu Tenders Resignation After Less Than a 30-Day Period in the Role
The French Premier Lecornu has resigned, shortly after his government team was presented.
The presidential office issued a statement after the Prime Minister met the French President for an hour on the start of the week.
This unexpected development comes only under four weeks after he was given the PM role following the downfall of the previous government of his predecessor.
Political factions in the French parliament had fiercely criticised the structure of Lecornu's cabinet, which was mostly similar to the previous one, and vowed to reject it.
Pressure for New Vote and Political Instability
Multiple political groups are now calling for early elections, with others demanding Macron to step down as well - even though he has always said he will not resign before his time in office finishes in 2027.
"The President needs to choose: calling new elections or resignation," said Sébastien Chenu, one of leading figures of the RN party.
The outgoing PM - the previous military head and a ally of the President - was France's fifth prime minister in under two years.
Background of Political Turmoil
French politics has been markedly turbulent since last summer, when snap parliamentary elections resulted in a deadlocked assembly.
This has made it difficult for each PM to obtain required votes to approve legislation.
The previous administration was defeated in September after parliament refused to back his fiscal tightening package, which aimed to slash government spending by 44 billion euros.
Financial Pressures and Market Response
The French shortfall hit nearly 6% of the economy in 2024 and its public debt is more than the total economic output.
That is the number three debt level in the euro area after two southern European nations, and amounting to almost 50,000 euros per person.
Markets declined in the Paris bourse after the resignation report was released on Monday.
