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

France's Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu has handed in his resignation, shortly after his government team was presented.

The Elysée palace confirmed the news after the Prime Minister met the French President for an 60-minute discussion on Monday morning.

This shock move comes only 26 days after he was given the PM role following the dissolution of the prior administration of François Bayrou.

Parties across the board in the French parliament had sharply condemned the makeup of Lecornu's cabinet, which was largely unchanged to Bayrou's, and threatened to vote it down.

Pressure for Early Elections and Government Instability

Multiple political groups are now demanding new parliamentary polls, with some calling for Macron to resign too - despite the fact that he has consistently affirmed he will not leave before his mandate concludes in 2027.

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

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

Context of Government Turmoil

The nation's governance has been markedly turbulent since July 2024, when sudden national voting resulted in a deadlocked assembly.

This has posed obstacles for any prime minister to garner the necessary support to approve legislation.

Bayrou's government was voted down in last month after lawmakers declined to support his spending cuts plan, which aimed to reduce public expenditure by €44bn.

Economic Pressures and Market Response

France's deficit hit nearly 6% of the economy in 2024 and its government debt is more than the total economic output.

That is the number three debt level in the euro area after Greece and Italy, and equal to almost 50,000 euros per person.

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