New French Prime Minister Resigns in Surprise Move
French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu resigned today after just four months in office, deepening France's ongoing political crisis. His resignation came after opposition parties and right-wing groups harshly criticized his newly announced cabinet lineup and threatened to vote it down in parliament.
President Emmanuel Macron accepted Lecornu's resignation, according to an official statement from the Élysée Palace. Lecornu had been appointed on September 9, making his tenure one of the shortest in recent French political history.
The crisis erupted after Lecornu revealed his government's composition yesterday evening. Opposition parties in the National Assembly immediately attacked the lineup, saying it looked too similar to the previous government under former Prime Minister Michel Barnier. Several parties threatened to reject the new cabinet in a parliamentary vote.
This marks France's third government in just one year, highlighting the country's deepening political instability. Macron now faces the challenge of finding another prime minister who can survive France's fractured parliament, where no single party holds a clear majority.
The political turmoil comes at a critical time for France, which is grappling with economic challenges and needs stable leadership to navigate both domestic issues and its role in European affairs. Markets will be watching closely to see how quickly Macron can form a viable government that won't immediately face a confidence vote.
For investors and European partners, France's political chaos raises questions about the country's ability to implement economic reforms and maintain its influence in EU decision-making. The repeated government changes suggest deeper structural problems in French politics that go beyond individual personalities.
Sara Khaled