France’s Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu Resigns Just Hours After Cabinet Reveal

France’s Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu has stepped down less than a day after announcing his new cabinet, the Élysée Palace confirmed following a one-hour meeting with President Emmanuel Macron on Monday morning.

The resignation comes only 26 days after Lecornu was appointed to replace François Bayrou, whose government fell amid political turmoil.

Lecornu’s cabinet, largely unchanged from Bayrou’s, faced heavy criticism from parties across the National Assembly, with many threatening to reject it. The political instability has fueled calls for early elections, and some opposition figures are even demanding Macron resign, though the president has maintained he will complete his term in 2027.

“Macron needs to choose: dissolution of parliament or resignation,” said Sébastien Chenu, a prominent member of the far-right National Rally (RN).

Lecornu, a former armed forces minister and close Macron ally, became France’s fifth prime minister in under two years, reflecting the country’s ongoing political instability.

The turmoil traces back to July 2024, when snap parliamentary elections resulted in a hung parliament, making it difficult for any prime minister to secure support for legislation. Bayrou’s government collapsed in September after parliament rejected his austerity budget, which proposed €44bn ($51bn; £38bn) in spending cuts.