France has plunged into another political crisis after Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu resigned on Monday, only 26 days after taking office.

Lecornu’s resignation, coming just a day after he announced his cabinet, makes him the third French prime minister to step down since December. He was appointed last month after the fall of François Bayrou’s government, which collapsed when parliament rejected his budget proposal.

Following his resignation, President Emmanuel Macron asked Lecornu to present a plan for “stability for the country” by Wednesday evening. The unexpected move followed a day of turmoil that saw French stocks tumble amid concerns over political uncertainty.

Lecornu’s newly announced cabinet faced immediate criticism from nearly all parties in the National Assembly, which threatened to reject it. The appointment of former finance minister Bruno Le Maire as defense minister particularly fueled tensions. Le Maire later withdrew his name in an attempt to ease the crisis.

In a brief statement outside the prime minister’s residence, Lecornu blamed “partisan appetites” and political divisions for his decision, saying parties were unwilling to compromise. “I was ready for dialogue, but all sides acted as if they had absolute majorities,” he said.

President Macron now faces tough choices — either appointing another prime minister, dissolving the National Assembly to call for new elections, or, though least likely, stepping down himself.

France’s politics have remained unstable since July 2024, when Macron’s party lost its majority in snap elections, leading to a fragmented parliament and repeated government collapses.

Lecornu, a former armed forces minister, was France’s fifth prime minister in less than two years.

Source: BBC