French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu Tenders Resignation After Under a 30-Day Period in the Role
France's Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu has handed in his resignation, shortly after his ministers was announced.
The presidential office confirmed the news after Lecornu met the French President for an meeting on the start of the week.
This surprising decision comes only less than a month after Lecornu was appointed prime minister following the dissolution of the previous government of François Bayrou.
Various groups in the legislature had fiercely criticised the structure of the new government, which was mostly similar to the previous one, and promised to block its approval.
Pressure for Snap Polls and Political Instability
Several parties are now calling for a snap election, with certain voices calling for Macron to step down as well - although he has always said he will not stand down before his time in office finishes in 2027.
"The President needs to decide: parliament's dissolution or stepping down," said Sébastien Chenu, one of prominent members of the National Rally.
Lecornu - the former armed forces minister and a supporter of Macron - was France's fifth prime minister in less than 24 months.
Background of Government Turmoil
France's political landscape has been very volatile since last summer, when sudden national voting resulted in a deadlocked assembly.
This has posed obstacles for each PM to obtain required votes to approve legislation.
Bayrou's government was voted down in autumn after the assembly refused to back his austerity budget, which aimed to cut state costs by 44 billion euros.
Financial Pressures and Market Reaction
The nation's budget gap hit 5.8% of GDP in the current year and its public debt is more than the total economic output.
That is the number three debt level in the European monetary union after Greece and Italy, and equal to almost 50,000 euros per person.
Stocks fell sharply in the Paris exchange after the news of Lecornu's resignation was released on Monday.
