French Prime Minister Lecornu Steps Down After Less Than a 30-Day Period in the Role

The French Premier Sébastien Lecornu has resigned, under 24 hours after his ministers was unveiled.

The presidential office confirmed the news after Lecornu met the French President for an hour on the start of the week.

This surprising decision comes only less than a month after Lecornu was appointed prime minister following the collapse of the previous government of François Bayrou.

Parties across the board in the French parliament had strongly opposed the structure of the new government, which was very close to Bayrou's, and vowed to reject it.

Demands for Snap Polls and Political Unrest

Multiple political groups are now demanding early elections, with certain voices calling for the President to step down as well - despite the fact that he has always said he will not leave before his mandate concludes in five years from now.

"Macron needs to choose: dissolution of parliament or stepping down," said Chenu, one of leading figures of the National Rally.

Lecornu - the previous military head and a ally of the President - was France's fifth prime minister in a two-year span.

Context of Government Turmoil

French politics has been markedly turbulent since mid-2024, when snap parliamentary elections resulted in a hung parliament.

This has posed obstacles for any prime minister to obtain required votes to approve legislation.

The previous administration was voted down in last month after the assembly refused to back his spending cuts plan, which aimed to cut state costs by 44 billion euros.

Economic Pressures and Stock Response

The nation's budget gap hit 5.8% of GDP in the current year and its public debt is 114 percent of GDP.

That is the third largest government debt in the euro area after Greece and Italy, and amounting to almost €50,000 per French citizen.

Markets declined in the French stock market after the announcement about the PM broke on Monday morning.