PARIS: French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday appointed the president of the Democratic Movement party (MoDem), Francois Bayrou, as Prime Minister, as reported by CNN.
Bayrou ran for President three times before rallying behind Macron in 2017. The 73-year-old is the mayor of the southwestern town of Pau as well as the founder of the centrist MoDem party.
Sharing a post on X, the MoDem party wrote, “Francois Bayrou, President of the MoDem, is appointed Prime Minister. Francois Bayrou has demonstrated his ability to unite to serve the general interest. We will work together to provide concrete answers to the French people”.
Notably, the announcement by Macron follows the resignation of France Prime Minister Michel Barnier last week. Barnier had stepped down after just three months in office, marking the shortest tenure of any prime minister in modern French history, as per Al Jazeera.
On December 5, while addressing the nation from the Elysee Palace, Macron vowed to continue his five-year mandate despite the no-confidence vote that led to the resignation of Barnier. Macron also emphasised his responsibility to ensure the continuity of the state, the proper functioning of institutions, and the protection of the French people.
“Finally, the mandate that you democratically entrusted to me is a five-year mandate, and I will exercise it fully until its end. My responsibility requires ensuring the continuity of the State, the proper functioning of our institutions, the independence of our country, and the protection of all of you”, he had said. “I have been doing this from the beginning, at your side, through social crises, the Covid-19 epidemic, the return of war, inflation and so many trials that we have shared,” Elysee said, quoting Macron.
Notably, the 331 members of the 577-seat lower house of the French parliament voted to remove Barnier’s centrist minority government, throwing the country into political instability as it faces a growing budget deficit, Al Jazeera reported. The vote was triggered by far-left and far-right opposition parties after Barnier used special powers to push through budget measures without parliamentary approval.
Barnier’s government became the first in more than six decades to be toppled by a no-confidence vote. (ANI)