🔗 Share this article France's Premier Lecornu Tenders Resignation Following Under a Month in Office The French Premier Lecornu has handed in his resignation, less than a day after his cabinet was unveiled. The presidential office confirmed the news after Lecornu met Macron for an hour on Monday morning. This surprising decision comes only under four weeks after he was named premier following the dissolution of the previous government of François Bayrou. Parties across the board in the legislature had fiercely criticised the composition of his ministerial team, which was largely unchanged to Bayrou's, and promised to block its approval. Demands for Early Elections and Government Instability Multiple political groups are now clamouring for new parliamentary polls, with others calling for Macron to resign too - even though he has always said he will not stand down before his mandate concludes in 2027. "Macron needs to decide: parliament's dissolution or leaving office," said Chenu, one of prominent members of the far right National Rally (RN). The outgoing PM - the ex-defense chief and a supporter of Macron - was France's fifth prime minister in under two years. Context of Political Turmoil French politics has been very volatile since July 2024, when sudden national voting resulted in a deadlocked assembly. This has created challenges for any prime minister to garner the necessary support to pass any bills. Bayrou's government was rejected in September after parliament voted against his spending cuts plan, which aimed to cut state costs by $51 billion. Financial Challenges and Stock Response The nation's budget gap stood at nearly 6% of the economy in 2024 and its national debt is 114% of GDP. That is the third highest public debt in the euro area after Italy and Greece, and amounting to almost €50,000 per French citizen. Share prices dropped in the Paris bourse after the news of Lecornu's resignation emerged on Monday morning.