French President, Emmanuel Macron has named Michel Barnier, the European Union’s former Brexit negotiator, as the new Prime Minister of France.
This comes after weeks of deadlock.
Barnier, 73, is set to be France’s oldest Prime Minister.
He succeeds Gabriel Attal, the youngest, who is now 35.
In a post on X, Attal thanked the French people, as he leaves office
The Elysée Palace disclosed that Barnier’s role will be to form “a unifying government in the service of the country.”
“This appointment comes after an unprecedented cycle of consultations during which, in accordance with his constitutional duty, the President ensured that the Prime Minister and the future government would meet the conditions to be as stable as possible and give themselves the chances of uniting as broadly as possible,” the statement said.
In political career over more than 50 years, Barnier has served as French foreign, European affairs, environment and agriculture minister — and twice as a European Commissioner.
He was the European Union’s Chief Negotiator in the talks with Britain over its Brexit departure from the bloc.
Barnier is now tasked with forming a government after almost two months of political deadlock following a snap election that delivered an unwieldy hung parliament.
Barnier will have the daunting challenge of trying to push reforms, and the 2025 budget, through a deeply divided parliament at a time when France is under pressure from the European Commission and bond markets to reduce its deficit.
The French government had been in a state of limbo following a summer election that resulted in a hung parliament.
Macron’s gamble to call the snap parliamentary election after the European elections in June backfired as his centrist coalition lost dozens of seats and no party won an absolute majority.
The left’s New Popular Front alliance came first but Macron ruled out asking them to form a government after other parties said they would immediately vote it down.
A number of politicians congratulated Barnier and expressed their enthusiasm for him.
Édouard Philippe, a former Prime Minister, congratulated Barnier, writing that there will be many to help him.
Manfred Weber, leader of the centre-right European People’s party, congratulated Michel Barnier.
“A convinced European, a man of dialogue and experience, he clearly fulfils the qualities that France needs,” he said.
Yaël Braun-Pivet, a Macron ally and President of the French National Assembly, also congratulated Barnier.
Melenchon Criticizes Barnier’s Appointment
Influential far-left leader, Jean-Luc Melenchon immediately came out against Barnier’s appointment and predicted that the new Prime Minister would not get a majority backing in the bitterly divided National Assembly.
Melenchon said that the appointment flew in the face of the July 7 legislative election results that left parliament’s lower house split between three main blocs — the left, including Melenchon’s party; the center where Macron has based his support, and the far right, converging around anti-immigration leader Marine Le Pen.
“The election has been stolen from the French people,” Melenchon asserted.
The French Greens’ Marine Tondelier also criticised Macron’s decision.
The far-right National Rally’s Marine Le Pen said that her party will not be part of a new Michel Barnier government because the new Prime Minister “does not share our ideas.”
Nonetheless, she indicated that she’s willing to give Barnier a chance.
The Socialist party’s Olivier Faure expressed concern about Macron’s decision.
“In all democracies in the world, it is the coalition that comes out on top that is called upon to form a government. Never the party that lost the election. Creating this precedent would be dramatic and dangerous for the institutions themselves,” he wrote.
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