France's Premier Lecornu Resigns Following Under a 30-Day Period in Office

The nation's PM Sébastien Lecornu has stepped down, under 24 hours after his government team was presented.

The presidential office confirmed the news after the Prime Minister met the French President for an meeting on Monday morning.

This surprising decision comes only less than a month after Lecornu was given the PM role following the collapse of the prior administration of François Bayrou.

Parties across the board in the French parliament had fiercely criticised the composition of the new government, which was very close to the previous one, and vowed to reject it.

Calls for Snap Polls and Political Unrest

Multiple political groups are now demanding a snap election, with some demanding Macron to step down as well - although he has repeatedly stated he will not stand down before his term ends in five years from now.

"The President needs to decide: parliament's dissolution or leaving office," said Sébastien Chenu, one of key representatives of the National Rally.

The outgoing PM - the ex-defense chief and a Macron loyalist - was the fifth premier in less than 24 months.

Context of Government Turmoil

France's political landscape has been markedly turbulent since July 2024, when snap parliamentary elections resulted in a hung parliament.

This has made it difficult for each PM to secure enough backing to approve legislation.

The former cabinet was rejected in autumn after parliament voted against his spending cuts plan, which aimed to slash government spending by 44 billion euros.

Financial Pressures and Stock Reaction

France's deficit reached 5.8 percent of economic output in the current year and its public debt is more than the total economic output.

That is the third largest government debt in the European monetary union after Greece and Italy, and amounting to almost 50k euros for each resident.

Share prices dropped in the French stock market after the announcement about the PM emerged on Monday.