The French PM Lecornu Tenders Resignation After Less Than a Month in Power

Government building Sébastien Lecornu portrait

The nation's PM Lecornu has stepped down, less than a day after his ministers was presented.

The presidential office issued a statement after the Prime Minister met President Emmanuel Macron for an meeting on the start of the week.

This shock move 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 composition of his ministerial team, which was largely unchanged to Bayrou's, and threatened to vote it down.

Demands for New Vote and Government Unrest

Multiple political groups are now calling for new parliamentary polls, with others calling for the President to resign too - although he has consistently affirmed he will not leave before his term ends in 2027.

"Macron needs to decide: dissolution of parliament or resignation," said Chenu, one of key representatives of the National Rally.

Lecornu - the former armed forces minister and a ally of the President - was the fifth French PM in less than 24 months.

Background of Political Crisis

French politics has been very volatile since mid-2024, when snap parliamentary elections resulted in a deadlocked assembly.

This has made it difficult for every premier to obtain required votes to pass any bills.

The previous administration was rejected in last month after the assembly refused to back his austerity budget, which aimed to cut state costs by 44 billion euros.

Economic Challenges and Market Reaction

The French shortfall stood at nearly 6% of the economy in the current year and its government debt is 114% of GDP.

That is the number three debt level in the euro area after two southern European nations, and equal to almost €50,000 per French citizen.

Markets declined in the French stock market after the announcement about the PM broke on Monday morning.

Kyle Clark
Kyle Clark

A passionate iOS developer with over 8 years of experience, specializing in Swift and creating user-friendly apps.