🔗 Share this article French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu Steps Down After Less Than a 30-Day Period in Power The French Premier Lecornu has resigned, shortly after his government team was unveiled. The French presidency confirmed the news after Lecornu met Macron for an hour on the start of the week. This surprising decision comes only under four weeks after he was given the PM role following the dissolution of the prior administration of François Bayrou. Political factions in the French parliament had strongly opposed the composition of his ministerial team, which was very close to the previous one, and vowed to reject it. Demands for Early Elections and Government Unrest A number of factions are now clamouring for early elections, with certain voices demanding the President to also leave office - despite the fact that he has always said he will not resign before his term ends in the year 2027. "The President needs to decide: calling new elections or resignation," said Chenu, one of prominent members of the far right National Rally (RN). Lecornu - the previous military head and a ally of the President - was France's fifth prime minister in a two-year span. Context of Political Turmoil France's political landscape has been markedly turbulent since July 2024, when early legislative polls resulted in a hung parliament. This has created challenges for every premier to obtain required votes to approve legislation. The previous administration was defeated in September after the assembly declined to support his fiscal tightening package, which aimed to reduce public expenditure by $51 billion. Financial Challenges and Stock Response The French shortfall stood at nearly 6% of the economy in the current year and its government debt is 114% of GDP. That is the number three debt level in the eurozone after Italy and Greece, and equal to almost 50k euros for each resident. Markets declined in the Paris exchange after the news of Lecornu's resignation was released on the start of the week.