🔗 Share this article French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu Tenders Resignation After Less Than a Month in the Role France's Prime Minister Lecornu has resigned, less than a day after his government team was presented. The presidential office confirmed the news after the Prime Minister met President Emmanuel Macron for an meeting on the start of the week. This surprising decision comes only under four weeks after Lecornu was given the PM role following the dissolution of the previous government of François Bayrou. Parties across the board in the French parliament had strongly opposed the makeup of the new government, which was mostly similar to the previous one, and threatened to vote it down. Demands for Early Elections and Government Instability Several parties are now calling for new parliamentary polls, with certain voices calling for the President to step down as well - although he has consistently affirmed he will not leave before his term ends in five years from now. "Macron needs to choose: parliament's dissolution or leaving office," said Sébastien Chenu, one of key representatives of the far right National Rally (RN). The outgoing PM - the ex-defense chief and a supporter of Macron - was France's fifth prime minister in less than 24 months. Context of Government Turmoil French politics has been markedly turbulent since July 2024, when snap parliamentary elections resulted in a hung parliament. This has created challenges for any prime minister to garner the necessary support to approve legislation. Bayrou's government was defeated in autumn after lawmakers declined to support his austerity budget, which aimed to cut state costs by 44 billion euros. Financial Challenges and Market Reaction The French shortfall hit 5.8 percent of economic output in the current year and its national debt is more than the total economic output. That is the number three debt level in the euro area after two southern European nations, and equal to almost 50,000 euros per person. Stocks fell sharply in the Paris exchange after the news of Lecornu's resignation emerged on Monday.