More or less directly after the resignation, Lecornu called a press conference, which in itself in French contexts is seen as a sign of the seriousness of the situation.
I was willing to compromise, defends Lecornu his attempt to govern.
But in the live broadcast, he adds that he did not experience the same will from the other parties.
The conditions were not there, says Lecornu about the opportunities to continue governing.
Many ministers from the predecessor François Bayrou's time had, after slow negotiations, agreed to remain in the new government, but when the whole became clear on Sunday evening, the criticism became so harsh that some regretted it. Among other things, Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau went out and said that this government does not mean the new start that is required.
”Back to the ballot boxes”
Lecornu was appointed as the government builder just under a month ago, by President Macron. Then, François Bayrou had resigned after less than a year, and after losing a vote of no confidence in parliament.
The leader of the National Rally party, Jordan Bardella, demands new elections, reports French media.
It is completely clear that Emmanuel Macron himself put together this government, he says in an interview with BFMTV, and accuses the president of "not understanding anything about the situation we are in".
Stability cannot be restored unless we go back to the ballot boxes and dissolve the National Assembly, he continues.
And Mathilde Panot, group leader of the left-wing party LFI, repeats the demand for Macron to also resign.
The countdown has begun, she says according to French media.
27 days
New elections to the National Assembly were held as recently as last year. Macron himself has a term that extends until 2027, when it is time for presidential elections.
The political turmoil is rooted in France's huge budget problems. The national debt is over 110 percent of GDP, and to get to grips with it, Macron and his prime ministers have proposed harsh austerity packages. But the proposals for, among other things, lower pensions and abolished public holidays have sparked great popular anger. It has also led to persistent street protests, in a France that has a long tradition of taking to the streets to show discontent.
Lecornu's resignation comes just 27 days after he was appointed. He thus becomes the shortest-lived prime minister in the history of the Fifth Republic. The Fifth Republic is the French system of government adopted in 1958, with a constitution drawn up by the founding father Charles de Gaulle.
