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France's Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu has stepped down, less than a day after his government team was announced.

The Elysée palace made the announcement after the Prime Minister met President Emmanuel Macron for an meeting 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 previous government of François Bayrou.

Parties across the board in the National Assembly had strongly opposed the makeup of the new government, which was mostly similar to the previous one, and vowed to reject it.

Calls for Snap Polls and Political Unrest

Multiple political groups are now clamouring for early elections, with certain voices demanding the President to step down as well - despite the fact that he has consistently affirmed he will not stand down before his term ends in 2027.

"Macron needs to choose: calling new elections or resignation," said Chenu, one of leading figures of the far right National Rally (RN).

The outgoing PM - the previous military head and a Macron loyalist - was the fifth premier in a two-year span.

Context of Political Turmoil

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

This has made it difficult for every premier to secure enough backing to pass any bills.

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

Financial Challenges and Stock Reaction

France's deficit hit nearly 6% of the economy in the current year and its national debt is 114 percent of GDP.

That is the third highest public debt in the eurozone after Greece and Italy, and equal to almost €50,000 per French citizen.

Stocks fell sharply in the Paris bourse after the announcement about the PM emerged on the start of the week.