France’s newly appointed Prime Minister, Sébastien Lecornu, has resigned just 26 days after taking office, in a shock move that plunged the country further into political crisis.
The government confirmed his resignation on Monday after he met President Emmanuel Macron for an hour at the Élysée Palace.
The shock announcement came less than a day after Mr Lecornu revealed his new cabinet, which was quickly criticised by politicians from all sides.
Opposition lawmakers in the National Assembly accused him of continuing the policies of former Prime Minister François Bayrou. Some even threatened a no-confidence vote before the new government could begin its work.
In his resignation speech, Mr Lecornu said political parties in France were all behaving as if they had their own majority in parliament.
“I was ready to compromise, but each political party wanted the other political party to adopt its entire programme,” he said in a speech in the courtyard of Matignon Palace, the French prime minister’s headquarters.
Mr Lecornu, 39, is a close ally of President Macron. He was Macron’s seventh prime minister, and the fifth in just two years.
His sudden departure increases pressure on the Macron government. Opposition parties are now calling for early elections, and some are even demanding that the president step down.
President Macron has rejected those calls and says he intends to complete his term, which runs until 2027.