Macron appoints Michel Barnier as Prime Minister
The French Presidency announced in a statement that the president entrusted him to "form united government."
Michel Barnier exits after an emergency meeting of the executive committee
French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday appointed former European Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier as the new prime minister in France. His first mission will be to achieve a majority in a divided Parliament.
Following a meeting between the two at the Elysee Palace in Paris, the French Presidency announced in a statement that Macron tasked Barnier with forming "a united government," at the end of weeks of unprecedented consultations.
"The president made sure that the prime minister and the coming government meet the conditions to be as stable as possible," and to encompass as many supporters as possible in Parliament, the statement specified.
Macron triggered a political crisis in France by bringing forward legislative elections scheduled for 2027 in June, which left a National Assembly with three main blocs, all far from an absolute majority.
At 73, Barnier, minister in France several times, European commissioner and chief negotiator of the United Kingdom's exit from the European Union, could count on the support of his party The Republicans (LR) and Macron's alliance.
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