France is facing a fresh wave of political uncertainty after Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu resigned less than 24 hours after naming his government — and under a month after taking office.
The French presidency confirmed on Monday that President Emmanuel Macron had accepted Lecornu’s resignation. Lecornu had only recently replaced François Bayrou, becoming France’s fourth prime minister in just a year.
In a brief resignation speech at the Hôtel Matignon in Paris, Lecornu blamed “political egos” and opposition parties for refusing to compromise.
“It would take little for it to work,” he said. “By being more selfless, by showing humility. One must always put one’s country before one’s party.”
The shock resignation has deepened France’s political crisis and rattled financial markets. The CAC-40 index of leading French companies fell nearly 2 percent on Monday.
Opposition parties were quick to react. Far-right leader Marine Le Pen called on President Macron to dissolve parliament or step down himself.
“We have reached the end of the road,” Le Pen said. “The only wise course of action in these circumstances is to return to the polls.”
The far-left France Unbowed party also called for Macron’s resignation.
The crisis has left ministers appointed just a day earlier serving as caretakers some before they were even formally sworn in. Ecology Minister Agnès Pannier-Runacher posted on X, describing the situation as a “circus.”
Lecornu’s short-lived government had already faced criticism, particularly for appointing former Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire to the defense ministry, despite concerns over France’s rising public deficit.
France’s public debt currently stands at 3.3 trillion euros, or 114 percent of GDP, with debt servicing consuming about 7 percent of state spending. Lecornu’s top priority was expected to be passing a new national budget amid this growing fiscal pressure.
France’s legislature remains deeply divided following last year’s snap elections. The far-right and left-wing blocs now control more than 320 of the 577 seats in the National Assembly, leaving Macron’s centrist alliance struggling to govern.
Lecornu had pledged to avoid using special constitutional powers to pass budgets without a vote a tool that had sparked anger under previous governments and instead sought compromise across party lines.
With his abrupt departure, France now faces yet another round of political reshuffling as President Macron searches for a fifth prime minister in just over a year.
