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France's Prime Minister Lecornu has stepped down, less than a day after his cabinet was unveiled.

The presidential office confirmed the news after the Prime Minister met the French President for an 60-minute discussion on Monday morning.

This surprising decision comes only less than a month after he was given the PM role following the collapse of the prior administration of François Bayrou.

Political factions in the legislature had fiercely criticised the composition of his ministerial team, which was mostly similar to the previous one, and threatened to vote it down.

Calls for Early Elections and Political Instability

A number of factions are now clamouring for a snap election, with certain voices demanding Macron to step down as well - although he has repeatedly stated he will not resign before his term ends in five years from now.

"Macron needs to pick: calling new elections or leaving office," said Sébastien Chenu, one of prominent members of the far right National Rally (RN).

The outgoing PM - the ex-defense chief and a Macron loyalist - was France's fifth prime minister in under two years.

Background of Political Crisis

The nation's governance has been markedly turbulent since July 2024, when sudden national voting resulted in a hung parliament.

This has created challenges for every premier to obtain required votes to enact new laws.

The previous administration was rejected in September after the assembly voted against his austerity budget, which aimed to slash government spending by $51 billion.

Financial Challenges and Stock Reaction

The nation's budget gap reached 5.8 percent of economic output in the current year and its government debt is more than the total economic output.

That is the number three debt level in the euro area after two southern European nations, and amounting to almost €50,000 per French citizen.

Markets declined in the Paris exchange after the announcement about the PM broke on the start of the week.