France's Premier Lecornu Tenders Resignation Following Under a 30-Day Period in Office

The nation's PM Lecornu has resigned, less than a day after his ministers was unveiled.

The French presidency confirmed the news after the Prime Minister met the French President for an meeting on the start of the week.

This surprising decision comes only less than a month after he was appointed prime minister following the downfall of the previous government of François Bayrou.

Political factions in the legislature had fiercely criticised the structure of Lecornu's cabinet, which was very close to Bayrou's, and threatened to vote it down.

Pressure for New Vote and Political Instability

Multiple political groups are now demanding new parliamentary polls, with some calling for Macron to also leave office - despite the fact that he has consistently affirmed he will not leave before his term ends in five years from now.

"The President needs to pick: dissolution of parliament or stepping down," said Chenu, one of key representatives of the National Rally.

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

Background of Political Turmoil

The nation's governance has been very volatile since mid-2024, when sudden national voting resulted in a hung parliament.

This has made it difficult for each PM to secure enough backing to approve legislation.

The former cabinet was voted down in autumn after the assembly refused to back his austerity budget, which aimed to reduce public expenditure by $51 billion.

Financial Pressures and Stock Reaction

The nation's budget gap hit 5.8 percent of economic output in the current year and its government debt is 114% of GDP.

That is the third largest government debt in the eurozone after two southern European nations, and equivalent to almost 50,000 euros per person.

Stocks fell sharply in the French stock market after the resignation report emerged on the start of the week.