French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu Steps Down Following Under a Month in the Role

France's Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu has stepped down, under 24 hours after his ministers was announced.

The Elysée palace confirmed the news after Lecornu met the French President for an meeting on the start of the week.

This surprising decision comes only less than a month after he was given the PM role following the downfall of the previous government of François Bayrou.

Parties across the board in the legislature had fiercely criticised the composition of his ministerial team, which was mostly similar to the previous one, and vowed to reject it.

Pressure for Snap Polls and Political Unrest

A number of factions are now demanding new parliamentary polls, with certain voices urging the President to also leave office - despite the fact that he has repeatedly stated he will not leave before his mandate concludes in the year 2027.

"Macron needs to decide: dissolution of parliament or resignation," said Chenu, one of prominent members of the RN party.

Lecornu - the ex-defense chief and a ally of the President - was the fifth French PM in under two years.

Background of Political Crisis

The nation's governance has been highly unstable since July 2024, when early legislative polls resulted in a deadlocked assembly.

This has created challenges for every premier to obtain required votes to enact new laws.

The former cabinet was rejected in September after the assembly voted against his spending cuts plan, which aimed to cut state costs by 44 billion euros.

Financial Challenges and Stock Response

France's deficit hit nearly 6% of the economy in the current year and its government debt is 114 percent of GDP.

That is the third highest public debt in the European monetary union after Greece and Italy, and equal to almost 50,000 euros per person.

Share prices dropped in the French stock market after the news of Lecornu's resignation broke on the start of the week.