Sébastien Lecornu, the French Prime Minister, submitted his resignation to President Emmanuel Macron on Monday, which was accepted immediately. This development comes only hours after the announcement of a new government formation.
The Elysee Palace announced Lecornu’s resignation as the political crisis in France deepens. The new government, unveiled on Sunday evening, retained most of the previous members, causing widespread criticism from all political sides, including Macron’s allies and opponents. The right-wing party “Les Républicains” expressed reservations about the appointment of Defense Minister Bruno Le Maire.
France has been experiencing a profound political crisis since Macron called for early legislative elections last year to strengthen his authority. The current situation worsens the crisis, with calls growing for Macron to dissolve parliament in search of a new majority that can facilitate government formation and lead the country out of political deadlock.
Economically, France faces a chronic slowdown not tied to temporary circumstances. Despite a limited recovery following the COVID-19 pandemic, economic growth has remained weak, and forecasts for 2025 predict only a 0.6% growth rate, down from 0.8% in 2024. This is among the lowest growth rates in major European economies and the weakest since 2015. Structural inefficiencies in productive capacity and diminishing effectiveness of economic stimulus tools are also evident.
France’s total debt, both public and private, reached approximately 7.65 trillion euros (around 8.87 trillion dollars) by mid-2025, more than double the GDP of 2.9 trillion euros (about 3.36 trillion dollars).
