On Friday, President Emmanuel Macron appointed centrist leader François Bayrou as France’s new prime minister, entrusting him with the challenging task of leading the country out of a prolonged political crisis. Bayrou, the 73-year-old head of the MoDem party, which is allied with Macron’s party, was selected nine days after Michel Barnier’s government was ousted in a historic no-confidence vote over a dispute about an austerity budget.
The French presidency announced: “The President of the Republic has appointed Mr. François Bayrou as prime minister and tasked him with forming a government.”
Bayrou’s appointment was met with immediate criticism, as both the hard-left France Unbowed (LFI) and the Green parties threatened to file a new motion of censure. Bayrou becomes Macron’s sixth prime minister since the start of his mandate, following the recent removal of Barnier, who served only three months in office, making him France’s shortest-serving prime minister. He is also Macron’s fourth prime minister in 2024 alone.
Bayrou now faces the difficult challenge of assembling a cabinet capable of surviving a no-confidence vote in a deeply divided parliament, while also negotiating a budget for 2025 to ease economic tensions.
The announcement came after nearly two hours of tense discussions between Macron and Bayrou on Friday. Barnier, also 73, was expected to formally hand over power later in the afternoon, with a ceremony planned at Matignon, the prime minister’s official residence. A red carpet was rolled out, and microphones were set up in the courtyard for the event. The new cabinet is expected to be unveiled at a later date.
Bayrou’s mandate will include engaging with all political forces, except the far-right National Rally (RN) and hard-left LFI, “in order to find conditions for stability and action,” a member of Macron’s team stated. “François Bayrou’s name emerged in recent days as the most consensual.”
Both the RN and LFI were key players in the removal of Barnier’s government last week. Macron has been grappling with the complicated political situation following the snap parliamentary elections this summer, where no party or coalition holds a majority in the lower house, making it difficult to secure a stable government.
Jean-Luc Mélenchon, leader of LFI, and Marine Le Pen, leader of the RN, both influential figures after the elections, were not involved in the most recent negotiations. Le Pen suggested that Bayrou’s appointment could lead to another deadlock. “We are asking him to do what his predecessor was unwilling to do: listen to the opposition and build a reasonable, well-considered budget,” she said on X.
The left-wing New Popular Front (NFP), which includes the Socialists, Communists, Greens, and LFI, emerged as the largest bloc in the National Assembly after the elections and had demanded that Macron appoint a prime minister from their ranks. Many members of Mélenchon’s hard-left party vowed to introduce a new motion of censure.
“It’s yet another insult to democracy,” said Manuel Bompard, a senior LFI lawmaker, on X. “To topple Bayrou is to topple Macron.”
Even more moderate left-wing voices voiced dissatisfaction. Green Party leader Marine Tondelier criticized the appointment, stating that her party would have “no other choice” but to censure Bayrou’s government unless there is a change in economic policy and the retention of hardliner Bruno Retailleau as interior minister. Communist Party leader Fabien Roussel called Bayrou’s appointment “bad news” and reiterated the left’s demand for a shift in political direction.
While many expected Macron to announce Barnier’s successor in a national address last week, the president missed a self-imposed 48-hour deadline and did not reveal the new prime minister then, further illustrating the ongoing political impasse.
Bayrou’s candidacy has sparked opposition from both the left, wary of continuing Macron’s policies, and the right, where he is unpopular with figures such as former president Nicolas Sarkozy. Other prime ministerial contenders included former Socialist prime minister Bernard Cazeneuve, Defense Minister Sébastien Lecornu, and former foreign minister Jean-Yves Le Drian.
Public opinion polls indicate growing frustration with the ongoing crisis. A recent Elabe poll found that more than two-thirds of respondents believe politicians should strike a deal to avoid toppling another government.