Sébastien Lecornu has announced his resignation as Prime Minister less than a month after his appointment, as the make-up of the government has remained virtually unchanged.
Appointed just 27 days ago, Lecornu is the second prime minister to step down under president Emmanuel Macron this year, following the resignation of François Bayrou earlier on.
Speaking briefly outside his official residence, Matignon, Lecornu criticised opposition parties for their refusal to compromise. While he said he was willing to make concessions to help the country, he lamented the “egos” that, in his view, have stood in the way of progress.
The 39-year-old former defence minister now becomes the shortest-serving prime minister in the history of France’s Fifth Republic.
“It would not take much for it to work. By being more selfless, by knowing how to show humility. One must always put one’s country before one’s party,” he said.
Macron must now appoint a new prime minister capable of pushing next year’s budget through parliament, or dissolve the National Assembly once again, a move that would trigger fresh parliamentary elections.
Lecornu’s departure deepens the political crisis currently gripping France, with parliament already split into three main blocs: the left, the far right, and Macron’s centrist party. Another election, if it were to happen, would risk widening the political divides and fuelling further instability.
