President Emmanuel Macron has appointed former European Union Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier as France’s new Prime Minister.
The announcement was made on Thursday after more than 50 days of transitional government.
The appointment of 73-year-old Barnier followed weeks of intensive efforts by Macron and his aides to find a candidate who might be able to build loose support groups in parliament and survive possible attempts by Macron’s opponents to quickly overthrow the new government that Barnier will now form and lead.
A statement from Macron’s office on Barnier’s appointment said he had been given the task of “forming a unified government that serves the country and the French people.”
The statement added: “This appointment comes after an unprecedented cycle of consultations in which the President, in accordance with his constitutional duty, has ensured that the Prime Minister and the incoming Government meet the conditions for the greatest possible stability and give each other the chance of reaching the broadest possible agreement.”
Barnier, a career politician proud of his humble roots in the French Alpine region of Haute-Savoie, is familiar with complex and difficult tasks.
He was the European Union’s chief negotiator in the difficult talks with Britain about the EU’s exit from the Union.
He will replace Gabriel Attal, who resigned on July 16 following the snap parliamentary elections that resulted in a divided parliament without a clear majority, plunging France into political turmoil.
But Macron kept Attal and his ministers in office as caretakers, letting them manage day-to-day affairs so that political instability would not overshadow the Olympic Games in Paris from July 26 to August 11, when France was in the global spotlight.
In his political career spanning more than 50 years, Barnier has served as French foreign minister, minister for European affairs, minister for the environment and agriculture – and has twice been an EU commissioner – but had never previously run for a leadership post such as president or prime minister.
The influential far-left politician Jean-Luc Mélenchon immediately spoke out against Barnier’s appointment and predicted that the new prime minister would not find a majority for his cause in the deeply divided National Assembly.
Mélenchon said the appointment contradicted the results of the July 7 parliamentary elections, which had split the lower house into three major blocs: the left, which includes Mélenchon’s party; the centre, which Macron relies on; and the extreme right, which is centered around anti-immigration activist Marine Le Pen.
“The election was stolen,” said Mélenchon.
Le Pen, on the other hand, indicated that she was willing to give Barnier a chance, but said her Rassemblement National party would not participate in his government because the new prime minister “does not share our ideas”.
She says the 2025 budget will be a priority for Barnier’s government as the deadline for presenting one is very tight.
France is also under pressure from the EU to get its finances in order. Brussels has criticized Paris for its excessive debt.
“Barnier is a man who respects other political forces,” said Le Pen. “This is important because, given the state of the French budget, compromises must be found.”
