🔗 Share this article

France's government instability has intensified after the new prime minister dramatically resigned within moments of announcing a cabinet.

Quick Exit During Government Instability

The prime minister was the third PM in a single year, as the nation continued to stumble from one parliamentary instability to another. He quit hours before his initial ministerial gathering on the beginning of the workweek. The president accepted his resignation on Monday morning.

Strong Criticism Over New Cabinet

France's leader had faced furious criticism from opposition politicians when he revealed a recent administration that was largely similar since last month's dismissal of his predecessor, his predecessor.

The announced cabinet was dominated by the president's supporters, leaving the cabinet almost unchanged.

Opposition Criticism

Opposition parties said Lecornu had backtracked on the "significant change" with past politics that he had pledged when he took over from the unpopular previous leader, who was removed on September 9th over a planned spending cuts.

Next Government Direction

The uncertainty now is whether the president will decide to terminate the legislature and call another sudden poll.

Jordan Bardella, the head of the opposition figure's far-right National Rally party, said: "We cannot achieve a return to stability without a return to the ballot box and the legislature's dismissal."

He added, "Evidently France's leader who chose this administration himself. He has understood nothing of the current circumstances we are in."

Vote Demands

The far-right party has advocated for another election, believing they can boost their representation and role in the assembly.

The nation has gone through a time of uncertainty and government instability since the national leader called an unclear early vote last year. The assembly remains divided between the political factions: the left, the conservative wing and the central bloc, with no definitive control.

Budget Pressure

A spending package for next year must be passed within coming days, even though government factions are at disagreement and the prime minister's term ended in less than a month.

Opposition Vote

Factions from the progressive side to far right were to hold discussions on Monday to decide whether or not to support to remove the prime minister in a opposition challenge, and it looked that the government would fall before it had even begun operating. The prime minister apparently decided to leave before he could be removed.

Cabinet Appointments

The majority of the key cabinet roles revealed on the night before remained the unchanged, including Gérald Darmanin as justice minister and arts and heritage leader as arts department head.

The position of economy minister, which is vital as a split assembly struggles to approve a spending package, went to Roland Lescure, a government partner who had formerly acted as economic sector leader at the start of Macron's second term.

Unexpected Appointment

In a surprise move, the president's political partner, a presidential supporter who had served as economic policy head for an extended period of his term, returned to cabinet as military affairs head. This enraged leaders across the spectrum, who considered it a sign that there would be no challenging or change of Macron's pro-business stance.