LAST UPDATE | 13 Dec 2024

FRANCOIS BAYROU HAS been named as the new prime minister of France.

Bayrou is the leader of the centrist Democratic Movement party, which does not make up part of President Emmanuel Macron’s centre-right political alliance but does support it in the current minority government.

He met with Macron this morning at the Elysee Palace where he was appointed to replace Michel Barnier, who resigned earlier this month following his loss in a vote of no confidence in parliament. It was the shortest term ever for a French prime minister. 

Bayrou now has the task of leading the next government for, at least, a year.

Legal restrictions on the French parliament mean it cannot dissolve more than once within a twelve-month period.

During the handover ceremony, Bayrou said that “no one knows the difficulty of the situation better” than he does.

“I’ve taken reckless risks all along my political life to raise the issue of debt and deficits in the most important elections,” he said.

France is under pressure from the European Union’s executive body and financial markets to reduce its colossal debt, estimated to reach 6% of its gross domestic product this year.

“I know that the risks of difficulties are much greater than the chances of success,” Bayrou said, adding that he hopes to lead the country towards a “needed reconciliation”.

“I think this is the only possible path to success,” he added.

The veteran politician, first elected to local council in 1982, is a long-time colleague of Macron. He resigned as justice minister in 2017 after he was accused of fraud.

Bayrou was acquitted in February after a seven-year-long case that accused him of the fraudulent employment of parliamentary assistants by his party. The judge ruled that he was owed the “benefit of the doubt”.

He was regarded as the most likely candidate by commentators, even though his acquittal is still subject to an appeal by prosecutors.

Given the current composition of the National Assembly lower house, there is no guarantee that Barnier’s successor will last any longer than him. French politics was plunged into chaos following the European elections earlier this year.

Far-right candidates were elected in mass over Macron’s centrist coalition, which held a majority in the National Assembly.

The President dissolved the parliament, triggering a snap election, after Macron claimed the outcome of the European elections reflected a change in opinion among the French public. 

Macron warned voters not to vote for right-wing candidates. Left-wing politicians later moved to keep out the far-right National Rally party, and formed an alliance which managed to win the most number of seats in the Parliament.

It did not, however, receive enough seats to form a government and, later, were unable to decide on a candidate to select as prime minister. The leader of the parliament is appointed by the President in France.

Macron’s centrist alliance has controversally been in power in a minority government, supported by right-wing, conservative parties, since September.

Barnier was appointed as prime minister less than 100 days ago but was voted out by the parliament over a social security budget bill was rushed through the lower house.

The no-confidence vote was put forward by Marine Le Pen, leader of the far-right in the French parliament, who is now seeking to oust Macron from the Elysee Palace as well. Her National Rally party has largely attempted to disrupt Macron’s centrist coalition.

Le Pen is currently facing legal challenges, accused of paying internal party officials with fund allocated for European Parliamentary assistants. She fully denies the charges but if found guilty she may be ordered to stay out of politics for five years.

Contains reporting from © AFP 2024