🔗 Share this article

The French Premier Sébastien Lecornu has stepped down, under 24 hours after his cabinet was announced.

The presidential office confirmed the news after the Prime Minister met Macron for an meeting on the start of the week.

This shock move comes only less than a month after he was given the PM role following the collapse of the prior administration of his predecessor.

Political factions in the National Assembly had sharply condemned the composition of the new government, which was mostly similar to the previous one, and threatened to vote it down.

Pressure for Snap Polls and Government Unrest

Several parties are now demanding a snap election, with others demanding the President to resign too - despite the fact that he has repeatedly stated he will not stand down before his term ends in the year 2027.

"Macron needs to choose: dissolution of parliament or leaving office," said Sébastien Chenu, one of key representatives of the RN party.

Lecornu - the previous military head and a supporter of Macron - was the fifth French PM in less than 24 months.

Background of Political Crisis

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

This has posed obstacles for every premier to secure enough backing to approve legislation.

The previous administration was voted down in September after the assembly declined to support his fiscal tightening package, which aimed to reduce public expenditure by 44 billion euros.

Economic Pressures and Stock Reaction

The nation's budget gap stood at 5.8 percent of economic output in 2024 and its public debt is more than the total economic output.

That is the third highest public debt in the eurozone after Italy and Greece, and amounting to almost 50,000 euros per person.

Markets declined in the Paris exchange after the resignation report was released on Monday morning.