French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu Steps Down Just Weeks After Taking Office

President Macron is under increased pressure after Sebastien Lecornu resigns weeks after being appointed, further escalating political unrest in France.

Sebastien Lecornu, France’s new prime minister, resigned a few weeks after taking office, causing further political unrest in the nation.

The challenging challenge of bringing a divided parliament together to approve the 2026 budget and win back investor trust fell to Lecornu, France’s fifth prime minister in less than two years.

Following a string of unsuccessful governments that found it difficult to carry out budgets that called for tax rises and spending cuts, he was appointed in early September amid intense turmoil and public discontent.

Just hours after introducing his new cabinet on Sunday, Lecornu, a longstanding ally of President Emmanuel Macron and former defense minister, quit. Monday was supposed to be the first meeting of the cabinet, which kept the majority of the prominent members.

Given that he has headed three unsuccessful minority governments and is dealing with escalating political instability, his departure now adds to the mounting pressure on Macron.

The National Assembly was supposed to hear Lecornu’s presentation of his government’s roadmap on Tuesday. As investors, political parties of all stripes, and the European Commission in Brussels kept a watchful eye on France’s economic prospects, he resigned.

It was anticipated that Lecornu would discuss how his government intended to lower France’s 5.8% budget deficit in 2024 and handle the country’s 113% public debt, both of which are far higher than the EU’s debt ceiling of 60% and deficit ceiling of 3%.