The French PM Sébastien Lecornu Tenders Resignation After Less Than a Month in Power

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

The Elysée palace made the announcement after Lecornu met Macron for an meeting on the start of the week.

This unexpected development 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 National Assembly had sharply condemned the composition of the new government, which was mostly similar to the previous one, and promised to block its approval.

Demands for Snap Polls and Political Unrest

Several parties are now demanding new parliamentary polls, with others demanding Macron to also leave office - although he has consistently affirmed he will not resign before his term ends in 2027.

"Macron needs to choose: dissolution of parliament or stepping down," said Chenu, one of key representatives of the RN party.

Lecornu - the ex-defense chief and a supporter of Macron - was the fifth premier in a two-year span.

Background of Political Turmoil

France's political landscape has been very volatile since mid-2024, when early legislative polls resulted in a deadlocked assembly.

This has made it difficult for any prime minister to secure enough backing to enact new laws.

The former cabinet was defeated in last month after the assembly voted against his austerity budget, which aimed to slash government spending by €44bn.

Financial Challenges and Stock Reaction

The French shortfall hit nearly 6% of the economy in the current year and its national debt is 114% of GDP.

That is the third largest government debt in the eurozone after Italy and Greece, and equal to almost 50k euros for each resident.

Stocks fell sharply in the Paris exchange after the announcement about the PM emerged on Monday.