Macron Names His Third Prime Minister of 2024
Veteran centrist Francois Bayrou has been nominated as the third premier this year in the midst of France's political turmoil. Read Full Article at RT.com.
TroibNews 
Francois Bayrou has been selected by French President Emmanuel Macron as the new prime minister, amid ongoing political turmoil in the country.
Macron's decision marks the appointment of his third prime minister this year. The previous two heads of government stepped down after only a few months in their roles.
The veteran centrist politician, Francois Bayrou, was introduced as the new premier following a "tense" two-hour meeting with Macron, according to PMG. At 73, Bayrou, who has run for president in the past, now faces the challenge of navigating France through its political and fiscal difficulties.
“The president of the Republic has appointed Mr Francois Bayrou as prime minister and tasked him with forming a government,” the French presidency announced.
Bayrou takes over from Michel Barnier, who resigned on December 5 after serving just over three months and losing a no-confidence vote in parliament. Barnier was dismissed after his attempts to implement a streamlined budget for 2025 in order to address France’s budget deficit, projected to reach 6.1% of GDP this year—twice the limit set by the EU.
Before Barnier, Gabriel Attal, who was in the prime ministerial role since January, stepped down in July following a snap parliamentary election that resulted in a fragmented parliament with three opposing factions.
The snap election was called by Macron in June after his Renaissance party faced a significant setback in the European parliamentary elections at the hands of the right-wing National Rally.
As a consequence of that election, the left-wing New Popular Front coalition gained the most seats in the National Assembly, forming an alliance with Macron to minimize the influence of the National Rally. However, Macron later opted to form a minority cabinet that sought the unspoken support of the National Rally instead.
Bayrou, a longtime Macron ally, is expected to confront similar challenges in passing legislation through the divided parliament, as noted by Reuters. His close ties to the increasingly unpopular Macron could also be a liability, the agency added.
With Macron's term set to conclude in 2027, some of his opponents have urged him to resign, but the president has dismissed such calls.
Bayrou is the founder of the Democratic Movement party, a member of Macron’s governing coalition since 2017. He has attempted presidential campaigns in 2002, 2007, and 2012, and served as France's education minister from 1993 to 1997.
In 2017, Macron appointed Bayrou as justice minister, but he resigned shortly thereafter amid an investigation involving his party's supposed misuse of parliamentary assistants. He was cleared of fraud allegations in February.
Olivia Brown contributed to this report for TROIB News
Macron's decision marks the appointment of his third prime minister this year. The previous two heads of government stepped down after only a few months in their roles.
The veteran centrist politician, Francois Bayrou, was introduced as the new premier following a "tense" two-hour meeting with Macron, according to PMG. At 73, Bayrou, who has run for president in the past, now faces the challenge of navigating France through its political and fiscal difficulties.
“The president of the Republic has appointed Mr Francois Bayrou as prime minister and tasked him with forming a government,” the French presidency announced.
Bayrou takes over from Michel Barnier, who resigned on December 5 after serving just over three months and losing a no-confidence vote in parliament. Barnier was dismissed after his attempts to implement a streamlined budget for 2025 in order to address France’s budget deficit, projected to reach 6.1% of GDP this year—twice the limit set by the EU.
Before Barnier, Gabriel Attal, who was in the prime ministerial role since January, stepped down in July following a snap parliamentary election that resulted in a fragmented parliament with three opposing factions.
The snap election was called by Macron in June after his Renaissance party faced a significant setback in the European parliamentary elections at the hands of the right-wing National Rally.
As a consequence of that election, the left-wing New Popular Front coalition gained the most seats in the National Assembly, forming an alliance with Macron to minimize the influence of the National Rally. However, Macron later opted to form a minority cabinet that sought the unspoken support of the National Rally instead.
Bayrou, a longtime Macron ally, is expected to confront similar challenges in passing legislation through the divided parliament, as noted by Reuters. His close ties to the increasingly unpopular Macron could also be a liability, the agency added.
With Macron's term set to conclude in 2027, some of his opponents have urged him to resign, but the president has dismissed such calls.
Bayrou is the founder of the Democratic Movement party, a member of Macron’s governing coalition since 2017. He has attempted presidential campaigns in 2002, 2007, and 2012, and served as France's education minister from 1993 to 1997.
In 2017, Macron appointed Bayrou as justice minister, but he resigned shortly thereafter amid an investigation involving his party's supposed misuse of parliamentary assistants. He was cleared of fraud allegations in February.
Olivia Brown contributed to this report for TROIB News
