Today's Edition
Paris (AFP)
President Emmanuel Macron on Friday named Francois Bayrou as prime minister, handing him the daunting task of hauling France out of months of political crisis.
The 73-year-old head of the MoDem group, which is allied to Macron's party, was appointed nine days after parliament ousted Michel Barnier's government in a historic no-confidence vote following a standoff over an austerity budget.
"The president of the Republic has appointed Mr. Francois Bayrou as prime minister and tasked him with forming a government," the presidency said.
The announcement capped hours of drama that saw Bayrou summoned to a morning meeting at the Elysee palace -- where he was reportedly told Macron would choose another figure -- only for the presidency to finally announce he had the post.
Bayrou is the sixth prime minister of Macron's mandate, with his predecessor Barnier France's shortest-serving premier, having lasted only three months.
He is also Macron's fourth prime minister of 2024.
The newly appointed premier faces the immediate challenge of forming a cabinet that can survive a no-confidence vote in a divided parliament and thrashing out a 2025 budget in a bid to limit economic turmoil.
Himalayas 'loom ahead'
At the traditional handover ceremony with Barnier, Bayrou declared: "No one knows better than me the difficulty of the situation," with France facing a ballooning budget deficit coupled with political instability.
"I am fully aware of the Himalayas that loom ahead of us," he said of the budget deficit that is now 6.1 percent of GDP.
He also vowed to fight what he described as the "glass wall that has risen up between citizens and the authorities".
Handing over, Barnier told his successor: "Our country is in an unprecedented and grave situation."
