PARIS — In a surprising turn of events, French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu tendered his resignation to President Emmanuel Macron on Monday. This development came just hours after he introduced a new Cabinet, which immediately faced widespread criticism from various political factions.

The Elysee Palace confirmed that President Macron accepted Lecornu's resignation, marking another chapter in the ongoing political volatility in France.

Lecornu's newly proposed Cabinet largely mirrored its predecessor, retaining many ministers from the previous administration that dissolved on September 8 following a lost confidence vote in the National Assembly.

Reactions were swift. Marine Le Pen, leader of the far-right National Rally, decried the reshuffle as "pathetic" and criticized it for including those she claims "bankrupted France." Similarly, Marine Tondelier of the Green Party accused Macron’s allies of demonstrating "contempt for democracy," while Boris Vallaud of the Socialist group lamented what he sees as a plunge further into chaos.

Despite retaining his position within the reshuffle, Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau announced plans to convene a strategic meeting among Republicans to discuss what he described as an unsatisfactory new lineup lacking the promised reforms.

The proposed changes included Roland Lescure taking over as finance minister from Eric Lombard and former Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire returning as defense minister. Other notable appointments were Eric Woerth overseeing territorial organization and Naima Moutchou handling transformation and digital technology.

Lecornu was appointed as prime minister following Francois Bayrou’s failed confidence vote attempt earlier this September. Bayrou had been pushing for parliamentary support to slash €44 billion ($51 billion) from France’s budget with hopes of alleviating public debt concerns, which currently stand at 115% of GDP.

France continues to navigate one of the European Union's most significant budget deficits at 5.8% of GDP. The inability to establish stable financial plans has compounded challenges faced by Macron’s leadership.— Alkhbr News

French Prime Minister Steps Down Amidst Cabinet Controversy

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