French Prime Minister Lecornu Tenders Resignation Following Under a 30-Day Period in Office
The nation's PM Lecornu has handed in his resignation, under 24 hours after his ministers was presented.
The Elysée palace issued a statement after Lecornu met Macron for an 60-minute discussion on the start of the week.
This shock move comes only less than a month after Lecornu was named premier following the dissolution of the prior administration of François Bayrou.
Political factions in the legislature had sharply condemned the makeup of Lecornu's cabinet, which was mostly similar to Bayrou's, and threatened to vote it down.
Calls for Snap Polls and Political Instability
Several parties are now demanding a snap election, with some demanding the President to resign too - although he has repeatedly stated he will not resign before his time in office finishes in the year 2027.
"Macron needs to decide: dissolution of parliament or stepping down," said Sébastien Chenu, one of leading figures of the far right National Rally (RN).
The outgoing PM - the previous military head and a ally of the President - was the fifth premier in under two years.
Background of Political Crisis
France's political landscape has been highly unstable since last summer, when early legislative polls resulted in a no clear majority.
This has made it difficult for every premier to secure enough backing to approve legislation.
The previous administration was defeated in autumn after lawmakers declined to support his spending cuts plan, which aimed to cut state costs by $51 billion.
Economic Challenges and Stock Response
France's deficit stood at 5.8 percent of economic output in the current year and its national debt is 114% of GDP.
That is the number three debt level in the eurozone after two southern European nations, and equal to almost 50,000 euros per person.
Share prices dropped in the Paris exchange after the announcement about the PM emerged on Monday.
