Paris: French Prime Minister S©bastien Lecornu has resigned nearly four weeks after his appointment, leaving President Emmanuel Macron potentially in search of a new prime minister for the third time in a year. Lecornu submitted his resignation to Macron, who accepted it.
According to Ghana News Agency, the resignation follows Lecornu’s unveiling of key ministerial appointments on Sunday evening, which led to discontent from the leader of the Republicans party, Bruno Retailleau. Retailleau expressed dissatisfaction with the conservatives’ role in the new Cabinet and called a crisis meeting for Monday. Speculation grew about a possible withdrawal of the conservatives from the coalition with Macron’s centrist camp, which lacks a parliamentary majority.
Retailleau had previously demanded a third of the ministerial posts for his party. Conservatives were reportedly upset with the unexpected appointment of long-serving economy and finance minister Bruno Le Maire as defense minister. Following his resignation, Lecornu accused the parties in the divided French parliament of politically blocking the country, stating that each party acted as if it held an absolute majority in the National Assembly.
Lecornu, who hails from the president’s camp, had been scheduled to make a government statement to the lower house of parliament and reveal the remaining Cabinet positions on Tuesday. His resignation signifies a failure in forming a stable government, extending France’s political crisis and putting Macron under significant pressure.
The opposition quickly called for new elections and urged Macron to resign. Marine Le Pen, leader of France’s right-wing nationalists, stated that fresh elections are the only solution, while left-wing politician Jean-Luc M©lenchon echoed the sentiment, emphasizing the need to address core issues to prevent further deterioration.
Despite the turmoil, President Macron, whose office operates independently of the government, has previously ruled out resigning before the end of his term in spring 2027. He has not yet commented publicly on the situation following Lecornu’s resignation.
The political instability follows former Prime Minister Fran§ois Bayrou’s loss in a parliamentary confidence vote over a planned austerity budget on September 8, leading to his resignation. Macron appointed Lecornu on September 9 in an attempt to stabilize the government. France currently holds the highest debt in the European Union, amounting to approximately £3.3 trillion ($3.9 trillion).