French PM Sébastien Lecornu Resigns After 26 Days, Deepening Macron’s Political Crisis

France has been plunged into fresh political turmoil following the shock resignation of Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu on Monday morning, just 26 days after taking office. This marks the third French PM to step down since last December, highlighting a period of intense instability for President Emmanuel Macron’s government.

Lecornu’s swift departure came the day after he unveiled his cabinet, which faced fierce criticism from across the political spectrum and threatened to be voted down by the National Assembly. The unexpected move sent ripples through financial markets, with stocks on the Paris exchange falling sharply amid concerns over the country’s economic management capabilities.

Hours after his resignation, Lecornu accepted a plea from President Macron to work on a plan for “stability for the country” by Wednesday evening. This desperate attempt to avert further chaos follows a period of high political tension that began in July 2024, when Macron’s call for snap parliamentary elections resulted in a hung parliament deeply divided along ideological lines.

The outgoing Prime Minister, a staunch Macron loyalist, publicly criticized the “partisan appetites” of political factions, stating that all parties behaved “as if they had an absolute majority” and were unwilling to compromise. His predecessor, François Bayrou, also saw his government collapse, and Michel Barnier was toppled within three months last September, illustrating the deep-seated gridlock hindering effective governance.

Macron now faces a critical decision point. Should Lecornu’s last-ditch effort for a stability plan fail, the President’s options are stark: appoint yet another prime minister, dissolve the National Assembly for new legislative elections (which could favor the hard-right), or, least likely, resign himself. The nation grapples with a significant deficit (5.8% of GDP in 2024) and high national debt, exacerbating the urgency of political resolution.

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