France Plunges into Political Turmoil as PM Sebastien Lecornu Resigns Hours After Forming Cabinet

France was thrown into fresh political chaos on Monday after Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu and his government resigned just hours after announcing a new cabinet line-up, deepening the country’s crisis and sending French stocks and the euro sharply lower. Lecornu, President Emmanuel Macron’s fifth prime minister in two years, stepped down saying he could not perform his duties amid threats from both allies and opposition parties to topple his newly formed government. His administration lasted barely 14 hours — the shortest in modern French history — as divisions within parliament widened.

Opposition leaders swiftly demanded that Macron either resign or call fresh parliamentary elections to end the deadlock that has paralyzed governance since his 2022 re-election. Far-right National Rally leader Marine Le Pen declared that “the farce must end,” while hard-left figure Mathilde Panot said Lecornu’s departure marked the countdown to Macron’s fall. The president, whose mandate runs until 2027, has so far ruled out resignation or another snap election, but his silence following Lecornu’s exit has fueled speculation about France’s next political move.

Markets reacted sharply to the turmoil, with Paris’ CAC 40 index falling over 1.5%, led by losses in banking stocks, and the euro slipping 0.7% to $1.1665. Analysts warned that the ongoing instability — three prime ministers defeated in less than a year — is eroding investor confidence and casting doubt on France’s ability to rein in public debt, which now stands at nearly 114% of GDP. The deepening crisis underscores how the Fifth Republic, founded in 1958 to ensure political stability, now faces one of its gravest tests as Macron’s centrist bloc struggles to hold the balance against a resurgent far-right and hard-left.

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