The French PM Resigns Following Less Than a Month Amidst Extensive Criticism of Freshly Appointed Cabinet

France's political turmoil has deepened after the freshly installed PM suddenly stepped down within a short time of forming a cabinet.

Quick Resignation Amid Government Instability

Sébastien Lecornu was the third French prime minister in a twelve-month period, as the country continued to stumble from one political crisis to another. He resigned a short time before his first cabinet meeting on the beginning of the workweek. Macron approved Lecornu's resignation on the beginning of Monday.

Furious Backlash Regarding New Government

Lecornu had faced strong opposition from opposition politicians when he presented a fresh cabinet that was virtually unchanged since last recent dismissal of his former PM, his predecessor.

The presented administration was dominated by President Emmanuel Macron's supporters, leaving the cabinet mostly identical.

Political Reaction

Opposition parties said the prime minister had stepped back on the "major shift" with earlier approaches that he had promised when he came to power from the unpopular Bayrou, who was ousted on 9 September over a planned spending cuts.

Future Government Direction

The uncertainty now is whether the president will decide to dissolve parliament and call another early vote.

Jordan Bardella, the head of the opposition figure's far-right National Rally party, said: "We cannot achieve a return to stability without a return to the ballot box and the national assembly being dissolved."

He added, "Obviously the president who chose this cabinet himself. He has misinterpreted of the present conditions we are in."

Election Calls

The far-right party has advocated for another poll, believing they can expand their positions and presence in the legislature.

France has gone through a phase of turmoil and parliamentary deadlock since the national leader called an unclear early vote last year. The parliament remains separated between the three blocs: the left, the nationalist group and the centre, with no clear majority.

Financial Pressure

A spending package for next year must be approved within a short time, even though government factions are at disagreement and Lecornu's tenure ended in less than a month.

No-Confidence Motion

Factions from the progressive side to far right were to hold meetings on the start of the week to decide whether or not to vote to oust the prime minister in a parliamentary motion, and it appeared that the administration would fall before it had even commenced functioning. The prime minister apparently decided to step down before he could be removed.

Cabinet Appointments

Most of the key cabinet roles revealed on the previous evening remained the same, including the legal affairs head as justice minister and Rachida Dati as culture minister.

The responsibility of economic policy head, which is crucial as a split assembly struggles to approve a financial plan, went to a Macron ally, a government partner who had formerly acted as economic sector leader at the start of the president's latest mandate.

Unexpected Selection

In a surprise move, a longtime Macron ally, a presidential supporter who had worked as financial affairs leader for seven years of his leadership, came back to government as defence minister. This infuriated officials across the political divide, who considered it a indication that there would be no doubt or change of the president's economic policies.

Dennis Hickman
Dennis Hickman

A seasoned journalist with a focus on UK political analysis and investigative reporting.