French President Macron Appoints Francois Bayrou as Prime Minister
President Emmanuel Macron (L) and Francois Bayrou (R). X/ @RnaudBertrand
December 13, 2024 Hour: 9:00 am
This 73-year-old centrist politician becomes the fourth head of government so far this year.
On Friday, French President Emmanuel Macron appointed Francois Bayrou, his ally since arriving at the Élysée in 2017, as the new Prime Minister.
RELATED:
He will become the fourth head of government this year, replacing the conservative Michel Barnier just nine days after the vote of no confidence that toppled Barnier’s administration, the shortest-lived in the country since World War II.
The 73-year-old centrist politician was received early in the morning at the Élysée Palace, where he held a nearly two-hour meeting with Macron before his appointment was officially announced to the nation.
Bayrou faces the daunting task of overcoming the political divisions in the National Assembly, which is split among the left, a slightly dominant force; Macron’s supporters; and the far-right.
His first priority will be to form a new government tasked with preparing a budget for 2025, the issue that led to Barnier’s downfall. By appointing Bayrou, Macron is betting on the more left-leaning faction of his alliance, hoping to win favor from the Socialist Party.
Bayrou also enjoys a measure of goodwill from Marine Le Pen’s far-right faction, as he shares her goal of advocating for a more representative electoral system.
He has previously served as a minister twice, including in a conservative government in the 1990s, and has run for president three times (2002, 2007, and 2012). Bayrou withdrew from the 2017 presidential race to support Macron, whom he saw as embodying his vision of breaking the traditional left-right divide.
His appointment as head of government—the sixth under Macron in seven years of his presidency—has been met with lukewarm reactions from various political parties. The far-left party, La France Insoumise (LFI), announced it would immediately file a motion of no confidence.
The Greens also appear unenthusiastic about the appointment. The Socialists and Communists, however, have left the door open to an agreement, though they have ruled out joining Bayrou’s government.
Jordan Bardella, president of the National Rally, stated that the right will maintain “the same red lines” it had with Barnier, whom it ultimately brought down in the December 4 vote of no confidence. However, he noted that there will not be a motion of no confidence a priori against the new prime minister, as they wait to see his performance in office.
teleSUR/ JF Source: EFE
