Former French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu resigned this morning, October 6th, after his government's tenure lasted less than three hours, making him the shortest-serving Prime Minister in the Fifth Republic's history. Lecornu cited "partisan appetites" and "presidential" ambitions as reasons for his departure, according to a statement shared via AFP on X at approximately 9:34 AM UTC. Meanwhile, President Emmanuel Macron was confirmed to be at the Élysée Palace working on the phone during this period, as reported by BFMTV. Lecornu's resignation, which occurred 27 days after he took office, plunges France into further political instability. This follows Jordan Bardella's call for the dissolution of the National Assembly and a motion filed by 104 deputies to dismiss President Macron. BFMTV described the swift collapse of Lecornu's government as an "implosion of macronism." Lecornu had been scheduled to make a statement from Matignon at 10:45 AM UTC. Reports from earlier this morning indicated that departing ministers are eligible for severance pay totaling around €500,000, with individual amounts around €28,000 gross each. BFMTV also reported that Lecornu had invited his ministers to Matignon for a meeting at 1:00 PM UTC.
