President Emmanuel Macron has appointed Michel Barnier as the new French prime minister. This decision comes after Macron's Centrist alliance suffered a setback during the snap vote in July, paving the way for a coalition government in Paris for the first time in 22 years.
As per an official statement from the President's office, Barnier will take over from Gabriel Attal as the prime minister and has been tasked with “forming a unifying government to serve the country and the French people".
Who Is Michel Barnier? Former EU Negotiator Turned PM
73-year-old Michel Barnier, who is part of The Republicans, was named as the new French prime minister on Thursday. Before his stint as the PM, the conservative politician has held various roles in previous French governments and the European Union.
In France, Barnier has served as a cabinet minister four times - Minister of the Environment (1993-1995), Minister of State for European Affairs (1995-1997), Minister of Foreign Affairs (2004-2005), and Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries (2007-2009).
In The European Union, the French politician served as the EU Regional Policy Commissioner from 1999 to 2004 and then as the EU Commissioner for Internal Market and Services from 2010 to 2014.
From 2016 to 2021, Barnier also served as the regional bloc's main negotiator for Brexit following the UK's decision to exit the European Union.
What Have The Reactions Been To Macron's PM Pick?
The left-wing alliance - New Popular Front - has expressed its disappointment with Macron's pick for the next prime minister. The left alliance, which secured the maximum number of votes during the snap elections, expressed its discontent after Macron rejected the Left's candidate Lucie Castets for the PM bid.
Far-right lawmaker Jean-Philippe Tanguy also took a jibe at Barnier. The L'Avenir Français politician referred to Barnier has a "fossil that has been fossilised by politics."
However, National Rally has seemed to welcome the appointment. "Michel Barnier seems at least to meet one of the criteria we’d demanded, which was to have someone who would respect different political forces and be able to speak with the Rassemblement National,” Marine Le Pen told reporters.
What Led To France's Coalition Era? - A Recap Of July's Vote
Macron's decision comes two months after the snap legislative elections in France. Following the results, which saw a win for the Left alliance, France's youngest and first openly gay PM Gabriel Attal announced his resignation. However, Attal was asked to stay on at least till the curtain closed on the Paris Olympics.
Following the 2024 European Parliament Elections in June, major gains for far-right parties across Europe were recorded, including France.
Based on the exit polls for the EU Elections, Marine Le Pen's National Rally had been projected as the winner in France, prompting Macron to dissolve the parliament and call for a two-round snap election.
Stating that the results "cannot be ignored", the French president called for a snap vote on June 30 and July 7.
However, in July, Macron and his Centrist alliance suffered another setback as it failed to form the majority. In the first round of voting, the National Rally and the far-right emerged victorious.
The National Rally's lead after Round 1 was met by major protests across Paris and from opposition political parties.
Following this, the left-aligned parties such as the far-left France Unbowed party; Socialist Party; the Ecologist party; the French Communist Party; the center-left Place Publicum, and other small parties came together and formed an alliance to block RN's victory in the second round.
Based on the official results declared by the Interior Ministry, the left-wing alliance accomplished its mission with National Rally coming in third with 143 seats.
Macron's centrist Ensemble came in second with 163 seats. The left alliance emerged victorious with 182 seats. However, with no party securing the majority of 289 seats, France will now work towards forming a coalition government.
