France's Premier Sébastien Lecornu Tenders Resignation After Less Than a 30-Day Period in the Role

The French Premier Lecornu has handed in his resignation, shortly after his ministers was unveiled.

The presidential office made the announcement after Lecornu met President Emmanuel Macron for an 60-minute discussion on the start of the week.

This unexpected development comes only less than a month after he was appointed prime minister following the collapse of the prior administration of François Bayrou.

Parties across the board in the legislature had sharply condemned the composition of his ministerial team, which was very close to the previous one, and vowed to reject it.

Demands for Snap Polls and Government Instability

Multiple political groups are now calling for early elections, with some demanding the President to also leave office - even though he has always said he will not stand down before his term ends in the year 2027.

"The President needs to choose: calling new elections or leaving office," said Chenu, one of key representatives of the National Rally.

Lecornu - the ex-defense chief and a supporter of Macron - was the fifth French PM in under two years.

Context of Government Turmoil

France's political landscape has been markedly turbulent since July 2024, when sudden national voting resulted in a no clear majority.

This has posed obstacles for any prime minister to secure enough backing to enact new laws.

The previous administration was defeated in autumn after the assembly declined to support his fiscal tightening package, which aimed to reduce public expenditure by €44bn.

Economic Pressures and Market Reaction

The nation's budget gap reached 5.8 percent of economic output in 2024 and its national debt is 114% of GDP.

That is the third highest public debt in the eurozone after two southern European nations, and equal to almost 50,000 euros per person.

Share prices dropped in the Paris exchange after the resignation report was released on the start of the week.