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French President Emmanuel Macron accepted the resignation of Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu on Monday, only hours after announcing a largely unchanged new cabinet that was meant to govern alongside him.
This abrupt departure plunges France into further political uncertainty.
Lecornu, who was named PM just last month, faced the immediate and challenging task of securing parliamentary approval for a controversial austerity budget for the coming year.
His two predecessors, François Bayrou and Michel Barnier, were both forced out over similar budget standoffs.
France’s public debt-to-GDP ratio has recently hit a record high, putting it among the worst in the European Union.
Although previous governments had relied on a constitutional mechanism to pass budgets without a vote, Lecornu had pledged to allow lawmakers to vote on the spending bill.
This political deadlock stems from Macron’s decision last year to call snap parliamentary elections, which failed to secure a majority for his allied bloc in the legislature.
