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The French Premier Lecornu has resigned, under 24 hours after his cabinet was announced.

The presidential office issued a statement after Lecornu met President Emmanuel Macron for an 60-minute discussion on the start of the week.

This surprising decision comes only under four weeks after Lecornu was given the PM role following the dissolution of the previous government of François Bayrou.

Political factions in the legislature had fiercely criticised the makeup of the new government, which was very close to Bayrou's, and promised to block its approval.

Pressure for Early Elections and Political Unrest

Multiple political groups are now calling for early elections, with certain voices urging Macron to resign too - even though he has consistently affirmed he will not stand down before his time in office finishes in the year 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).

The outgoing PM - the ex-defense chief and a Macron loyalist - was the fifth French PM in less than 24 months.

Background of Political Turmoil

French politics has been very volatile since mid-2024, when snap parliamentary elections resulted in a deadlocked assembly.

This has created challenges for every premier to secure enough backing to approve legislation.

The former cabinet was rejected in autumn after parliament voted against his spending cuts plan, which aimed to reduce public expenditure by €44bn.

Financial Pressures and Stock Response

The nation's budget gap reached 5.8% of GDP in 2024 and its national debt is 114 percent of GDP.

That is the third largest government debt in the European monetary union after Italy and Greece, and equal to almost 50,000 euros per person.

Markets declined in the French stock market after the resignation report emerged on the start of the week.