🔗 Share this article French Prime Minister Lecornu Steps Down After Under a Month in Power The French Premier Lecornu has resigned, under 24 hours after his cabinet was unveiled. The French presidency confirmed the news after Lecornu met Macron for an 60-minute discussion on the start of the week. This shock move comes only under four weeks after he was given the PM role following the dissolution of the previous government of François Bayrou. Parties across the board in the National Assembly had fiercely criticised the makeup of the new government, which was very close to the previous one, and promised to block its approval. Pressure for New Vote and Government Instability Multiple political groups are now clamouring for early elections, with others calling for Macron to resign too - although he has always said he will not resign before his mandate concludes in the year 2027. "The President needs to decide: dissolution of parliament or resignation," said Chenu, one of prominent members of the RN party. Lecornu - the previous military head and a ally of the President - was the fifth premier in less than 24 months. Context of Government Turmoil The nation's governance has been markedly turbulent since last summer, when snap parliamentary elections resulted in a deadlocked assembly. This has posed obstacles for every premier to secure enough backing to enact new laws. The former cabinet was defeated in September after parliament voted against his austerity budget, which aimed to reduce public expenditure by €44bn. Financial Challenges and Market Reaction The nation's budget gap stood at nearly 6% of the economy in 2024 and its national debt is more than the total economic output. That is the number three debt level in the European monetary union after two southern European nations, and amounting to almost 50k euros for each resident. Stocks fell sharply in the French stock market after the announcement about the PM broke on Monday.