🔗 Share this article French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu Steps Down Following Less Than a 30-Day Period in the Role The French Premier Lecornu has resigned, under 24 hours after his government team was announced. The French presidency confirmed the news after Lecornu met the French President for an hour on Monday morning. This unexpected development comes only 26 days after Lecornu was named premier following the collapse of the previous government of François Bayrou. Political factions in the National Assembly had sharply condemned the makeup of the new government, which was largely unchanged to Bayrou's, and vowed to reject it. Calls for Early Elections and Government Instability Several parties are now clamouring for a snap election, with some urging Macron to also leave office - despite the fact that he has repeatedly stated he will not leave before his time in office finishes in 2027. "The President needs to choose: dissolution of parliament or stepping down," said Sébastien Chenu, one of key representatives of the far right National Rally (RN). The outgoing PM - the previous military head and a Macron loyalist - was the fifth premier in under two years. Context of Government Crisis French politics has been markedly turbulent since mid-2024, when early legislative polls resulted in a hung parliament. This has created challenges for each PM to secure enough backing to enact new laws. The previous administration was voted down in autumn after lawmakers declined to support his spending cuts plan, which aimed to slash government spending by €44bn. Economic Pressures and Stock Reaction The nation's budget gap stood at nearly 6% of the economy in 2024 and its government debt is 114 percent of GDP. That is the third highest public debt in the eurozone after Italy and Greece, and equal to almost 50k euros for each resident. Stocks fell sharply in the Paris bourse after the announcement about the PM was released on the start of the week.