France’s new Prime Minister, Sébastien Lecornu, has resigned after less than a month in office, plunging President Emmanuel Macron’s government deeper into political turmoil.
Lecornu, 39, tendered his resignation on Monday after meeting with President Macron, who accepted it, the Élysée Palace confirmed.
Speaking outside the Hôtel de Matignon, Lecornu said, “You cannot be prime minister when the conditions are not met.”
Lecornu’s exit came barely two weeks after taking office and just a day after naming his cabinet, making him the shortest-lived government in France’s Fifth Republic.
The former defence minister had been due to present his general policy statement to the National Assembly on Tuesday.
Lecornu’s appointment on September 9 followed the collapse of François Bayrou’s government after losing a vote of confidence.
He became Macron’s seventh prime minister, tasked with easing political gridlock and curbing public spending.
However, attempts to form a cohesive government quickly faltered amid fierce opposition from both the left and right.
Critics slammed his cabinet choices, including reappointing former finance minister Bruno Le Maire as defence minister, as a continuation of Macron’s policies, rather than a fresh start.
In his resignation speech, Lecornu cited lack of political consensus, saying, “The conditions were no longer met for me to exercise my functions and allow the government to face parliament.”
Opposition leaders immediately seized on the crisis. Far-right National Rally president Jordan Bardella and Marine Le Pen both called for the dissolution of the National Assembly, while leftist leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon urged lawmakers to reopen Macron’s impeachment motion.
France has faced political instability since a snap election in July 2024 left parliament deeply divided.
Successive prime ministers have struggled to pass key legislation, particularly austerity measures aimed at cutting public debt.
The Paris Stock Exchange fell nearly two percent following news of Lecornu’s resignation.
President Macron, whose term runs until 2027, has so far ruled out stepping down.
