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The nation's PM Sébastien Lecornu has resigned, under 24 hours after his ministers was unveiled.

The presidential office made the announcement after Lecornu met President Emmanuel Macron for an meeting on the start of the week.

This shock move comes only 26 days after he was given the PM role following the collapse of the prior administration of François Bayrou.

Parties across the board in the French parliament had strongly opposed the structure of his ministerial team, which was mostly similar to the previous one, and threatened to vote it down.

Pressure for Early Elections and Government Unrest

A number of factions are now demanding early elections, with certain voices demanding Macron to also leave office - even though he has consistently affirmed he will not leave before his time in office finishes in five years from now.

"The President needs to pick: parliament's dissolution or leaving office," said Chenu, one of leading figures of the far right National Rally (RN).

The outgoing PM - the former armed forces minister and a Macron loyalist - was the fifth French PM in under two years.

Context of Political Turmoil

France's political landscape has been markedly turbulent since July 2024, when early legislative polls resulted in a hung parliament.

This has made it difficult for any prime minister to garner the necessary support to approve legislation.

The previous administration was voted down in September after lawmakers declined to support his fiscal tightening package, which aimed to reduce public expenditure by €44bn.

Financial Challenges and Market Response

The nation's budget gap reached nearly 6% of the economy in the current year and its government debt is 114% of GDP.

That is the number three debt level in the European monetary union after Italy and Greece, and equivalent to almost 50,000 euros per person.

Share prices dropped in the Paris exchange after the news of Lecornu's resignation was released on Monday.