Macron Appoints Michel Barnier as French Prime Minister
On September 5, French President Emmanuel Macron appointed former Foreign Minister and former European Commissioner Michel Barnier as head of government.
The press service of the Elysee Palace reported this.
Problems with government formation in France
The snap elections to the French parliament, which ended on July 7, were won by the left-wing alliance New Popular Front, which received 182 seats.
The presidential coalition Together for the Republic, which finished second, has 168 seats in the Palais Bourbon, while the right-wing National Rally party and its allies from the Republicans party have 143.
For a majority in the lower house of parliament, the party needs 289 seats. Thus, no political force received a majority.
Because of this, it was not possible to form a government for almost 2 months. The cabinet of Gabriel Attal, who resigned on July 16, remained in the government chancellery.
On August 26, the French President rejected the New Popular Front's proposal to appoint economist Lucie Castet as Prime Minister.
Today, the Elysee Palace announced that Macron has appointed Barnier as head of government.
He instructed him to form a unity government that would serve the country and the French people, the statement said.
One of the main criteria for the French president is the consensus of the main political forces on the refusal to pass a vote of no confidence in the new government.
And while the New Popular Front continues to threaten to block any candidate other than Castet, the National Rally and the Republicans have yet to make a clear statement about Barnier.
