French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu Resigns After Just 27 Days, Deepening Political Crisis
Key Facts
- France’s Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu resigned after 27 days, the shortest term in the Fifth Republic’s history.
- His resignation came amid conservative backlash over appointing Bruno Le Maire as defense minister.
- Macron must now appoint a new PM or call early parliamentary elections.
- Marine Le Pen and leftist leaders are demanding the dissolution of the National Assembly.
- Financial markets dropped amid fears of political instability in France.
by Emmitt Barry, with reporting from Worthy News Jerusalem Bureau Staff (Worthy News) –
PARIS (Worthy News) – French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu resigned Monday after just 27 days in office, marking the shortest premiership in France since the founding of the Fifth Republic in 1958. His departure has thrown President Emmanuel Macron’s already fragile government into deeper turmoil amid widening divisions in parliament.
Lecornu, a longtime ally of Macron and former defense minister, tendered his resignation less than 14 hours after announcing his cabinet. The 38-year-old leader cited an inability to secure a consensus among rival political factions as the reason for his decision.
“Being prime minister is a difficult task, doubtless even a bit harder at the moment,” Lecornu said in a televised address. “I was ready to compromise, but each party wanted the other to adopt its entire program. One cannot govern under such conditions.”
Conservative Rebellion and Cabinet Uproar
The resignation came after fierce backlash from France’s conservative Republicans over Lecornu’s appointment of former Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire as Defense Minister — a move that ignited a political firestorm. Le Maire, blamed by many on the right for ballooning deficits during his previous tenure, announced Monday evening he would withdraw his name from the post “to allow discussions to resume.”
Republican leader Bruno Retailleau accused Lecornu of acting unilaterally, stating that the prime minister had failed to consult him about Le Maire’s inclusion. “It’s a matter of trust,” he told broadcaster TF1.
The controversy underscored deep fractures within the National Assembly, where no party holds a clear majority. Over 320 of the chamber’s 530 lawmakers are aligned with far-left or far-right movements, creating an environment of persistent gridlock.
Macron Faces Dilemma
The Élysée Palace confirmed Lecornu’s resignation but asked him to remain temporarily to conduct “final negotiations” through Wednesday evening aimed at forging “a platform for stability.” Macron now faces a stark choice: appoint a sixth prime minister since his 2022 reelection or dissolve parliament and call early legislative elections.
Rightwing leader Marine Le Pen immediately seized on the crisis, demanding new elections. “There is no solution, there won’t be one tomorrow,” she said on X. “I call on the President of the Republic to dissolve the National Assembly.”
Meanwhile, the far-left France Unbowed movement renewed its call for Macron’s own resignation, while socialist and green parties urged the revival of a broad left-wing coalition.
Markets and Europe React
The turmoil rattled financial markets, with France’s CAC 40 stock index closing nearly 2 percent lower on Monday amid investor concerns over prolonged instability.
In Berlin, a German government spokesperson said France’s political upheaval “does not hinder Europe’s ability to act,” but added that “a stable France is an important contribution to stability in Europe.”
Lecornu, France’s fifth prime minister in two years, replaced François Bayrou, who resigned after losing a confidence vote last month. His short-lived government is now seen as a symbol of France’s deepening political deadlock.
Whether Macron can salvage his authority or faces another bruising electoral battle could determine the future of his presidency—and the direction of Europe’s second-largest economy.
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