🔗 Share this article France's Premier Lecornu Steps Down After Under a 30-Day Period in Office The nation's PM Lecornu has stepped down, under 24 hours after his cabinet was announced. The French presidency made the announcement after Lecornu met the French President for an hour on the start of the week. This surprising decision comes only 26 days after he was given the PM role following the downfall of the prior administration of his predecessor. Political factions in the legislature had strongly opposed the structure of the new government, which was mostly similar to the previous one, and threatened to vote it down. Demands for Snap Polls and Government Instability Multiple political groups are now clamouring for new parliamentary polls, with others calling for Macron to resign too - despite the fact that he has always said he will not leave before his term ends in five years from now. "The President needs to choose: dissolution of parliament or leaving office," said Chenu, one of key representatives of the National Rally. The outgoing PM - the former armed forces minister and a Macron loyalist - was the fifth premier in a two-year span. Background of Government Crisis French politics has been highly unstable since last summer, when early legislative polls resulted in a hung parliament. This has made it difficult for any prime minister to obtain required votes to approve legislation. Bayrou's government was voted down in last month after parliament voted against his austerity budget, which aimed to slash government spending by $51 billion. Financial Pressures and Stock Reaction The nation's budget gap reached nearly 6% of the economy in the current year and its public debt is more than the total economic output. That is the number three debt level in the European monetary union after two southern European nations, and equivalent to almost €50,000 per French citizen. Share prices dropped in the Paris bourse after the announcement about the PM emerged on the start of the week.