French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu Resigns Less Than a Day After Cabinet Announcement

Reuters

French outgoing Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu.

France’s Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu has resigned, less than 24 hours after unveiling his cabinet, citing the inability of political parties in the National Assembly to reach necessary compromises. The announcement was made following an hour-long meeting with President Emmanuel Macron at the Élysée Palace on Monday morning.

“The conditions were not fulfilled for me to carry on as prime minister,” Lecornu said, criticising the partisan inflexibility of factions who, he claimed, behaved as though they held an absolute majority. “I was ready for compromise, but all parties wanted the other side to adopt their programmes in full. It wouldn’t need much for this to work, but egos must be cast aside.”

The resignation comes only 26 days after Lecornu’s appointment, following the collapse of François Bayrou’s government. France has now seen five prime ministers in under two years, reflecting growing political instability since July 2024, when Macron called snap parliamentary elections in an attempt to secure a clear majority. The elections produced a hung parliament, leaving successive governments unable to pass key legislation.

Lecornu, a former Armed Forces Minister and staunch Macron loyalist, was seen as the President’s last resort. His departure leaves Macron with three options: appoint another prime minister, dissolve the National Assembly, or resign himself. Analysts suggest that new legislative elections are increasingly likely, with the far-right, led by Marine Le Pen, expected to make gains.

Le Pen said: “The only wise thing to do now is to hold elections. The French people are fed up. Macron has put the country in an extremely difficult position.”

The political uncertainty has already had economic consequences. France’s deficit reached 5.8% of GDP in 2024, with national debt at 114% of GDP – the third highest in the eurozone – and Paris stocks fell sharply following Lecornu’s resignation.

Source: BBC



PUKMEDIA