France: Macron appoints François Bayrou as new prime minister

French President Emmanuel Macron appointed François Bayrou (73) as the new prime minister, succeeding Michel Barnier.

"The President of the Republic has appointed Mr. François Bayrou as Prime Minister and charged him with forming a government," the Élysée Palace said in a brief statement.

With the appointment of Bayrou, more of a moderate centrist than his predecessor, Macron intends to attract the entire French political spectrum at a time of instability for the government due to the balance in the National Assembly.

Third prime minister in less than a year

Bayrou will be the third prime minister in less than a year. In January, Macron entrusted Gabriel Attal, making him the youngest in the country's history to hold the post.

But after poor electoral results in the European elections and early legislative election, Macron turned to conservative Michel Barnier to be the head of France's government.

The political crisis in France deepened in recent months and different political forces, both left and right, supported a motion of censure against Barnier, which went ahead with a large majority in the French Parliament.

Bayrou, who already knows what it is like to be part of the French government, having served as minister of justice under Édouard Philippe, will have the mission of approving the 2025 budget and to relax a political climate that is increasingly unstable.