Overview

• Sébastien Lecornu presented his resignation to President Emmanuel Macron, saying there were no conditions for him to remain prime minister.
• The cabinet unveiled the previous evening collapsed within hours, reported as the shortest government of the Fifth Republic.
• Lecornu framed a key break with past practice in his refusal to use Article 49.3, which he said parties pretended not to understand.
• Les Républicains leaders moved to pull support, angered by the surprise return of Bruno Le Maire as defense minister and by the cabinet's continuity with its predecessor.
• Opposition forces escalated demands, with the Rassemblement National urging dissolution and new elections, La France Insoumise pushing for Macron’s removal, and Paris markets falling as the CAC 40 slid about 1.7% with bank shares down sharply.