French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu Tenders Resignation After Under a Month in Power
France's Prime Minister Lecornu has resigned, under 24 hours after his cabinet was presented.
The French presidency made the announcement after the Prime Minister met President Emmanuel Macron for an hour on the start of the week.
This shock move comes only less than a month after he was appointed prime minister following the dissolution of the prior administration of his predecessor.
Parties across the board in the National Assembly had strongly opposed the structure of Lecornu's cabinet, which was mostly similar to the previous one, and promised to block its approval.
Demands for New Vote and Government Unrest
Several parties are now calling for new parliamentary polls, with others urging the President to resign too - despite the fact that he has consistently affirmed he will not leave before his term ends in the year 2027.
"Macron needs to decide: parliament's dissolution or resignation," said Sébastien Chenu, one of prominent members of the National Rally.
Lecornu - the ex-defense chief and a supporter of Macron - was the fifth premier in less than 24 months.
Background of Government Turmoil
France's political landscape has been very volatile since last summer, when snap parliamentary elections resulted in a deadlocked assembly.
This has posed obstacles for every premier to secure enough backing to approve legislation.
Bayrou's government was voted down in autumn after the assembly refused to back his fiscal tightening package, which aimed to cut state costs by 44 billion euros.
Economic Challenges and Stock Reaction
The nation's budget gap reached 5.8% of GDP in the current year and its national debt is 114% of GDP.
That is the third highest public debt in the European monetary union after Greece and Italy, and equivalent to almost 50,000 euros per person.
Share prices dropped in the Paris exchange after the resignation report emerged on the start of the week.