🔗 Share this article France's Premier Sébastien Lecornu Resigns Following Under a Month in Power The nation's PM Sébastien Lecornu has handed in his resignation, under 24 hours after his cabinet was unveiled. The French presidency confirmed the news after the Prime Minister met Macron for an hour on the start of the week. This unexpected development comes only 26 days after Lecornu was given the PM role following the collapse of the prior administration of François Bayrou. Parties across the board in the French parliament had strongly opposed the composition of Lecornu's cabinet, which was very close to Bayrou's, and threatened to vote it down. Pressure for Early Elections and Government Unrest A number of factions are now demanding a snap election, with some demanding Macron to resign too - although he has repeatedly stated he will not leave before his time in office finishes in the year 2027. "Macron needs to pick: calling new elections or stepping down," said Chenu, one of leading figures of the National Rally. Lecornu - the previous military head and a Macron loyalist - was France's fifth prime minister in less than 24 months. Context of Government Crisis The nation's governance has been highly unstable since last summer, when sudden national voting resulted in a no clear majority. This has created challenges for each PM to secure enough backing to enact new laws. The previous administration was voted down in September after lawmakers voted against his austerity budget, which aimed to reduce public expenditure by 44 billion euros. Economic Pressures and Market Reaction France's deficit hit nearly 6% of the economy in 2024 and its national debt is 114 percent of GDP. That is the third largest government debt in the eurozone after two southern European nations, and equivalent to almost €50,000 per French citizen. Share prices dropped in the Paris exchange after the resignation report was released on the start of the week.