Macron appoints centrist Bayrou as French prime minister in bid to end political instability

President Emmanuel Macron named centrist leader François Bayrou as France’s next prime minister, in a bid to end months of political turmoil.

Bayrou, a 73-year-old southwestern mayor who leads the MoDem party, said everyone realized the difficulty of the task ahead: “I think reconciliation is necessary.”

Macron’s entourage sees him as a potential consensus candidate and his task will be to avoid the fate of his predecessor. Former Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier lasted just three months and was ousted by MPs nine days ago.

Macron is halfway through his second term as president and Bayrou will be his fourth prime minister this year.

French politics have been at a standstill since Macron called early parliamentary elections over the summer and an opinion poll for BFMTV on Thursday suggested 61% of French voters were worried about the political situation.

Although a succession of allies lined up to praise Bayrou’s appointment, regional Socialist leader Carole Delga said the entire process had become a “bad movie”. France Unbreakable’s far-left leader Manuel Bompard complained of a “pathetic spectacle.”

The center-left Socialists said they were willing to talk to Bayrou but would not participate in his government. Leader Olivier Faure said that because Macron had chosen someone “from his own camp”, the Socialists would remain in opposition.

President Macron has vowed to remain in office until his second term ends in 2027, despite Barnier’s fall last week.

He cut short a trip to Poland on Thursday and was expected to name his new prime minister on Thursday night, but postponed his announcement until Friday.

He then met with Bayrou at the Elysee Palace and hours later a final decision was made. But in a sign of the tense nature of the talks, the world The newspaper suggested that Macron had preferred another ally, Roland Lescure, but changed his mind when Bayrou threatened to withdraw his party’s support.

Bayrou was due to move into the prime minister’s residence at the Hôtel Matignon within hours, and a red carpet was rolled out for the transfer of power even before his name was confirmed.

His challenge will be to form a government that will not be overthrown like that of his predecessor in the National Assembly.

Macron has already held roundtables with leaders of the main political parties, except Jean-Luc Mélenchon’s far-left France Insoumise (LFI) party and Marine Le Pen’s far-right National Rally party.

The question is who can be persuaded to join Bayrou’s government, or at least make a pact not to overthrow him.

When the only possible means of survival for a minority government is to build bridges between left and right, Bayrou has the advantage of having acceptable relations with both sides, reports BBC Paris correspondent Hugh Schofield.

Michel Barnier was only appointed in September and LFI deputies have already indicated that they will propose another motion of no confidence against his successor’s government.

He was removed when Le Pen’s National Rally joined left-wing MPs in rejecting his plans for €60bn (£50bn) in tax rises and spending cuts. It sought to reduce France’s budget deficit, which will reach 6.1% of economic output (GDP) this year.

His outgoing government has introduced a bill to allow the 2024 budget provisions to continue into next year. But a replacement budget for 2025 will have to be approved once the next government takes office.

Barnier wished his successor his best wishes in what he called “this very serious period for France and Europe.”

Under the political system of France’s Fifth Republic, the president is elected for five years and appoints a prime minister whose cabinet choice is then appointed by the president.

Unusually, President Macron called early elections for parliament over the summer after poor results in the EU elections in June. The result left France in a political stalemate, with three large political blocs formed by the left, the center and the extreme right.

He ultimately chose Barnier to form a minority government that depended on Marine Le Pen’s National Rally for its survival. Macron now hopes to restore stability without depending on his party.

Three center-left parties (the Socialists, the Greens and the Communists) broke ranks with the more radical left-wing LFI by engaging in talks with Macron.

However, they made it clear that they wanted a left-wing prime minister, rather than a centrist.

“I told them I wanted someone from the left and the Greens and I think Mr. Bayrou is neither one nor the other,” Greens leader Marine Tondelier told French television on Thursday.

Patrick Kanner of the Socialists said the fact that his party did not join Bayrou’s government “does not mean we are going to criticize him.”

Sébastien Chenu, a National Rally MP, said that for his party it was less about who Macron chose than what “political line” he chose. If Bayrou wanted to address immigration and the cost of living crisis, “he would find an ally in us.”

Relations between the center left and Jean-Luc Mélenchon’s radical LFI appear to have broken down due to the decision of the three parties to enter into talks with President Macron.

After the LFI leader asked his former allies to stay away from a coalition deal, the Socialists’ Olivier Faure told French television that “the more Mélenchon shouts, the less he is heard.”

Meanwhile, Marine Le Pen has called for the incoming government to take into account her party’s policies on the cost of living, crafting a budget that “does not cross each party’s red lines.”