🔗 Share this article France's Premier Lecornu Steps Down After Under a Month in the Role The nation's PM Sébastien Lecornu has handed in his resignation, shortly after his government team was unveiled. The Elysée palace made the announcement after Lecornu met Macron for an hour on the start of the week. This unexpected development comes only under four weeks after Lecornu was appointed prime minister following the downfall of the previous government of his predecessor. Political factions in the National Assembly had strongly opposed the composition of the new government, which was very close to the previous one, and threatened to vote it down. Calls for Snap Polls and Political Instability A number of factions are now demanding a snap election, with certain voices calling for the President to step down as well - despite the fact that he has repeatedly stated he will not stand down before his mandate concludes in the year 2027. "Macron needs to choose: parliament's dissolution or resignation," said Sébastien Chenu, one of leading figures of the National Rally. Lecornu - the previous military head and a Macron loyalist - was the fifth premier in a two-year span. Context of Political Crisis France's political landscape has been highly unstable since July 2024, when early legislative polls resulted in a no clear majority. This has created challenges for any prime minister to garner the necessary support to enact new laws. The previous administration was defeated in last month after lawmakers refused to back his fiscal tightening package, which aimed to slash government spending by €44bn. Financial Pressures and Market Response France's deficit hit nearly 6% of the economy in the current year and its public debt is 114% of GDP. That is the third highest public debt in the euro area after two southern European nations, and equivalent to almost 50,000 euros per person. Stocks fell sharply in the Paris bourse after the announcement about the PM was released on Monday morning.