France’s Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu has resigned, just hours after unveiling his new cabinet, the Élysée Palace announced following a one-hour meeting with President Emmanuel Macron on Monday morning.

The surprise move comes only 26 days after Lecornu was appointed to replace François Bayrou, whose government collapsed last month.

Lecornu’s cabinet, largely a continuation of Bayrou’s team, faced sharp criticism across the National Assembly, with multiple parties threatening to reject it outright. The political turmoil has led some factions to demand early elections, while others have called for President Macron to step down, though he has consistently said he will serve his term until 2027.

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

A former armed forces minister and known Macron loyalist, Lecornu became France’s fifth prime minister in under two years, highlighting the country’s ongoing political instability.

Since snap parliamentary elections in July 2024 produced a hung parliament, French leaders have struggled to secure the support needed to pass legislation. Bayrou’s government was ultimately voted down in September after parliament rejected his austerity budget, which sought to cut government spending by €44bn ($51bn; £38bn).