Francois Bayrou. Photo: Fred Tanneau / AFP
On Friday morning, French President Emmanuel Macron is to announce the name of the country’s new prime minister. One of the key candidates for this position is 73-year-old centrist Francois Bayrou, Macron’s long-time ally and leader of the Democratic Movement (MoDem) party. According to sources in the Elysee Palace, Bayrou has been invited to meet with the head of state in the morning, which reinforces speculation about his possible appointment, France 24 reports.
The new prime minister will replace Michel Barnier, whose government was forced to resign last week after a failed vote in parliament. Parliamentary groups on the far right and left united to pass a vote of no confidence, leading to the second major political crisis in France in the last six months.
A key task for the new government
The main challenge for the next prime minister will be to establish cooperation in a politically fractured parliament. In order to pass key laws, including the budget for next year, he will need to win the support of the three main political blocs – the far right, the left and the centre.
The previous Barnier government failed because of a budget policy that included austerity measures. This provoked strong opposition from both the left and the right, who consider such decisions unacceptable.
How did France end up in a political crisis?
Political tensions in France escalated back in June, when Macron was forced to dissolve the parliament after his party’s defeat in the European elections. Subsequent snap elections resulted in a parliament without a clear majority, divided into three blocs: the left-wing coalition, Macron’s centrists, and the centre-right along with the far right.
Michel Barnier’s short tenure as prime minister only exacerbated the crisis. The government failed to overcome the country’s structural economic problems, including a significant budget deficit.
Francois Bayrou: an experienced politician and a reliable ally
Francois Bayrou, a veteran of French politics, is known for his pragmatic approach. His MoDem party has been part of the ruling coalition since 2017. Bayrou was the Minister of Justice in Macron’s first government, but resigned due to suspicions of financial irregularities in his party. In 2023, he was acquitted, which restored confidence in the politician.
Bayrou, who has been the mayor of Pau in southwestern France for many years, has strong ties to the country’s rural regions. This could be an advantage for him in uniting the parliament and restoring trust in the executive branch.
The appointment of a new prime minister will be a test for Macron, whose popularity has now fallen to a record 21%, according to an Elabe poll. France is in a critical state, and hopes of stabilising the political and economic situation rest with Bayrou and his ability to unite the country’s fragmented political landscape.
