France’s new PM quits

FRANCE – France’s new Prime Minister Sebastian Lecornu has quit just weeks after being appointed to the position.

President Emmanuel Macron on Monday accepted Lecornu’s resignation, the Elysee Palace said, plunging the European nation further into political deadlock.

The resignation came just hours after Lecornu appointed his new Cabinet. 

After weeks of consultations with political parties across the board, Lecornu, a close ally of Macron, on Sunday appointed his ministers and the Cabinet had been set to hold its first meeting yesterday afternoon.

However, the new Cabinet line-up had angered opponents and allies alike, who either found it too rightwing or not enough, raising questions on how long it could last, at a time when France is already mired deep in political crisis, with no group holding a majority in a fragmented Parliament.

Lecornu handed his resignation to Macron yesterday morning.

“Sebastien Lecornu has submitted the resignation of his government to the president of the republic, who has accepted it,” the Elysee’s press office said.

French politics has become increasingly unstable since Macron’s re-election in 2022 for want of any party or grouping holding a parliamentary majority.

Macron’s decision to call a snap parliamentary election last year deepened the crisis by producing an even more fragmented Parliament. 

Lecornu, who was only appointed last month, was Macron’s fifth prime minister in two years following the toppling of François Bayrou and his government in a confidence vote.

Bayrou gambled that lawmakers would back his view that France must slash public spending to rein in its huge debts. Instead, they seized on the vote to gang up against the 74-year-old centrist who was appointed by Macron last December.

He officially submitted his resignation in September after lasting just nine months in office.

Major rioting then swept across France less than 24-hoursafter Macron appointed Lecornu. 

The chaos was all linked to a ‘Block Everything’ campaign ultimately aimed at forcing Macron to resign.

The protest movement was social media based and supported by the CGT (Confederation of General Workers), the largest trade union in the country.