Crisis grips France as new premier abruptly resigns

France’s new Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu resigned after less than a month in office and less than 24 hours after naming a new government that prompted a key coalition ally to withdraw support.

- Associated Press

The move plunged the country further into political crisis and left President Emmanuel Macron with few options.

The presidency said in a statement on Monday that Macron, who has been hitting record lows in opinion polls, has accepted the resignation.

Lecornu had replaced his predecessor, Francois Bayrou, ‘on September 9 to become France's fourth prime minister in barely a year during a prolonged period of political instability. Lecornu is now the shortest-serving prime minister in the history of the Fifth Republic, which started in 1958.

French politics have been in disarray since Macron called snap elections last year that produced a deeply fragmented legislature. Far-right and left-wing lawmakers hold over 320 seats at the National Assembly, while the centrists and allied conservatives hold 210, with no party having an overall major-it