French President Emmanuel Macron has appointed François Bayrou as the new Prime Minister after the previous one, Michel Barnier, was ousted by parliament. Bayrou, with multiple ministerial roles and three unsuccessful presidential bids, faces the task of navigating France through political uncertainty.
The crisis began when Macron called for unexpected parliamentary elections in June, following the radical right-wing Rassemblement National’s (RN) significant success in European elections. The elections led to a divided parliament; Macron’s party lost nearly half its seats, while RN and the left-wing bloc gained substantially.
No party achieved an absolute majority, preventing the formation of a majority government. Macron ignored the left-wing bloc’s preferred candidates and appointed Barnier, former EU Brexit negotiator.
Barnier’s attempts at major budget cuts and bypassing parliament led to his removal by a no-confidence vote, the first in sixty years. With no possibility of new elections until next July, Macron refuses to resign and insists on completing his term until 2027.
He is now urging cooperation among political factions, excluding RN and the far-left Jean-Luc Mélenchon from negotiations.
Source: NOS