French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu has resigned just weeks after taking office and only hours after announcing his new cabinet, intensifying France’s ongoing political crisis. The French presidency confirmed on Monday that President Emmanuel Macron accepted Lecornu’s resignation.
Appointed less than a month ago, Lecornu struggled to rally support for the government amid a divided parliament and a looming debt crisis. His new cabinet, unveiled Sunday evening, was met with widespread criticism from both political allies and opponents, as many ministers were holdovers from the previous administration. Despite pledges to break from the unpopular policies of his predecessor François Bayrou, Lecornu was unable to secure the necessary compromises.
French PM Sebastien Lecornu
“I was ready to compromise, but political parties demanded others fully adopt their programs,” Lecornu said outside his office. The fragmented parliament, split between far-right and far-left blocs since Macron’s snap elections in 2024, has made forming stable governments difficult.
Sebastien Lecornu sudden departure marks the fifth prime ministerial change in less than two years, triggering calls from opposition leaders including Marine Le Pen and Jean-Luc Mélenchon for Macron to resign and new elections to be held. The political instability has rattled markets, with the CAC 40 index dropping over 2 percent following the announcement.
France faces mounting pressure to pass a budget and address its soaring deficit and debt, but the prolonged deadlock complicates efforts to govern effectively in this turbulent period.
