🔗 Share this article The French PM Sébastien Lecornu Steps Down After Under a 30-Day Period in Office The nation's PM Sébastien Lecornu has resigned, under 24 hours after his ministers was presented. The French presidency confirmed the news after Lecornu met the French President for an 60-minute discussion on Monday morning. This surprising decision comes only less than a month after he was named premier following the collapse of the prior administration of his predecessor. Parties across the board in the French parliament had fiercely criticised the composition of Lecornu's cabinet, which was largely unchanged to the previous one, and promised to block its approval. Pressure for Early Elections and Political Unrest A number of factions are now demanding new parliamentary polls, with some calling for the President to step down as well - even though he has consistently affirmed he will not stand down before his term ends in 2027. "The President needs to pick: dissolution of parliament or stepping down," said Sébastien Chenu, one of leading figures of the far right National Rally (RN). Lecornu - the previous military head and a ally of the President - was the fifth premier in under two years. Background of Political Crisis France's political landscape has been very volatile since July 2024, when snap parliamentary elections resulted in a deadlocked assembly. This has created challenges for every premier to obtain required votes to enact new laws. The former cabinet was voted down in September after parliament refused to back his fiscal tightening package, which aimed to reduce public expenditure by €44bn. Economic Challenges and Stock Response The French shortfall stood at 5.8 percent of economic output in 2024 and its public debt is 114 percent of GDP. That is the third largest government debt in the eurozone after Italy and Greece, and equal to almost 50,000 euros per person. Markets declined in the Paris exchange after the resignation report was released on the start of the week.