New French PM begins consultations to form new government
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Francois Bayrou became France's new prime minister on Friday, marking the latest effort to stabilize a government rocked by months of political and economic turmoil.
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Newly named Prime Minister Francois Bayrou stands after the handover at the Prime Minister's residence on December 13, 2024. (AP)
Newly-appointed French Prime Minister Francois Bayrou has begun consultations with political party leaders to form a new government, the Parisien newspaper reported, citing sources. According to the article, the prime minister plans to meet with Senate President Gerard Larcher.
French President Emmanuel Macron appointed centrist Francois Bayrou as the country's new prime minister on Friday, marking the latest effort to stabilize a government rocked by months of political and economic turmoil.
Bayrou, leader of the MoDem group allied with Macron's party, assumes office nine days after parliament ousted Michel Barnier's government in a historic no-confidence vote over an austerity budget dispute.
Bayrou, 73, becomes Macron's sixth prime minister and fourth appointment to the role in 2024.
On December 4, the French parliament deposed Bayrou's predecessor, Barnier, in a no-confidence vote after he circumvented parliament to force through a social security draft budget for 2025.
The measure proposed an "austerity" regime that included 40 billion euros ($42 billion) in public spending cuts and an additional 20 billion euros generated through tax increases.
Majority of French doubt Bayrou will restore political stability
Almost 70% of French believe that new Prime Minister Francois Bayrou would be unable to restore the country's political stability, according to an Elabe poll done for the BFMTV channel on Saturday.
As many as 67% of French mistrust Bayrou's government's capacity to restore political stability in the country, while 52% believe he will fail to build a politically inclusive cabinet and agree with the opposition on the 2025 state budget bill. The poll was taken on December 13 among 1,009 adult French.
Speaking at the handover ceremony with outgoing Prime Minister Barnier, Bayrou acknowledged the magnitude of the challenges ahead.
"No one knows better than me the difficulty of the situation," he said, referencing the nation's economic instability and political divisions. He also vowed to tackle the "glass wall" separating citizens from government authorities.
Bayrou's immediate tasks include forming a cabinet capable of surviving a no-confidence vote and negotiating with various political factions in parliament, excluding the far-right National Rally (RN) and hard-left France Unbowed (LFI) parties, and Macron's team believes Bayrou is the most consensual choice to overcome these challenges.
