France PM Lecornu Resigns After Just One Month in Office, Deepening Macron’s Political Crisis

France was plunged deeper into political turmoil on Monday as Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu resigned less than a month after taking office, marking the shortest premiership in modern French history.

“Mr Sebastien Lecornu has submitted the resignation of his government to the president of the republic (Macron), which he accepted,” the French presidency announced in a brief statement.

Lecornu, a close Macron ally and former defence minister, had been appointed on September 9 but faced intense backlash after unveiling an almost unchanged cabinet lineup on Sunday. The move prompted the right-wing Republicans (LR) to reconsider their support, further destabilising Macron’s fragile government.

The shock resignation rattled financial markets, with Paris’s CAC 40 index dropping more than two percent early Monday.

Macron, who has resisted calls for new snap elections or his own resignation ahead of 2027, is now under renewed pressure as France grapples with a hung parliament following the inconclusive 2024 legislative elections.

Far-right National Rally (RN) leader Jordan Bardella said new polls were inevitable in the coming weeks, adding: “The RN will obviously be ready to govern.”

Republican vice-president Francois-Xavier Bellamy also criticised Lecornu’s cabinet, saying his party would not give Macron “a final lap.”

Lecornu’s resignation follows the downfall of his two predecessors, Francois Bayrou and Michel Barnier, who both clashed with parliament over budget proposals. France’s mounting debt crisis — now the EU’s third-highest debt-to-GDP ratio after Greece and Italy — has made passing austerity budgets increasingly contentious.

While Macron has pledged to stay the course until 2027, Lecornu’s abrupt departure underscores the challenges of governing a deeply divided France ahead of pivotal elections.

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