France was plunged into fresh political turmoil on Monday after Prime Minister, Sébastien Lecornu, resigned just 27 days into his tenure, making him the shortest-serving prime minister in modern French history.
Lecornu, a former defence minister, tendered his resignation on Monday morning, only hours after unveiling his new cabinet on Sunday evening.
According to the Élysée Palace, the resignation was accepted by President Emmanuel Macron, who now faces renewed political uncertainty.
On Sunday, Lecornu presented his government, which was nearly identical to that of his predecessor, François Bayrou. But the lack of change quickly drew criticism from coalition partners, with opposition figures describing the cabinet as uninspired and politically weak.
Lecornu’s biggest challenge was expected to be passing a strict austerity budget in a deeply divided parliament. He was due to make a public statement at 10:45 a.m. (Paris time).
The shock resignation has emboldened Macron’s rivals. Marine Le Pen’s far-right Rassemblement National demanded fresh elections, saying Macron had lost his grip.
“Macronism is dead on its feet. Macron must now choose: dissolution [of the Assemblée Nationale] or resignation, and quickly!” the party said on 𝕏.
On the left, Jean-Luc Mélenchon of La France Insoumise called for a motion to remove Macron from office.
Mathilde Panot, another LFI leader, went further, declaring, “The countdown has begun. Macron must go.”
The Paris stock exchange slipped sharply after the announcement, falling more than 2% by 10 a.m., just half an hour after the news broke.
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