The French President Emmanuel Macron has appointed former European Commissioner and Brexit negotiator for the EU, Michel Barnier, as Prime Minister, concluding two months of consultations. This was announced by the Élysée, specifying that Macron has asked the new Prime Minister to “form a coalition government at the service of the country.” The handover between outgoing Prime Minister Gabriel Attal and Michel Barnier is expected at 6 PM today.
“This appointment comes after an unprecedented round of consultations during which, in accordance with his constitutional duty, the president ensured that the Prime Minister and the upcoming government will adhere to the conditions necessary to be as stable as possible and provide for the widest possible coalition,” the statement emphasizes.
The appointment of 73-year-old Barnier follows weeks of intense efforts by Macron and his aides to find a candidate who could build support groups in parliament and withstand possible attempts by Macron’s opponents to quickly overthrow the new government that Barnier will now assemble and lead.
“We will pay close attention to the project he presents and will ensure that the aspirations of our voters, who represent a third of the French population, are heard and respected.” This is how Marine Le Pen commented on social media regarding Barnier’s appointment as the new Prime Minister. “Michel Barnier seems to meet at least the first criterion we requested,” she added, “that is to say, a person respectful of the various political forces and capable of addressing the Rassemblement National (RN), which is the largest group in the National Assembly.”
“After an endless wait, unworthy of a great democracy, we acknowledge the appointment of Michel Barnier as Prime Minister of Emmanuel Macron.” This is what the president of the Rassemblement national (RN) Jordan Bardella wrote in a post on social media. “The 11 million voters of the Rassemblement National deserve respect: this is our first demand,” he added, “we will judge his general policy speech, his budget decisions, and his actions based on evidence. We will ask that the main urgent issues for the French – purchasing power, security, and immigration – are finally addressed, and we reserve all political tools for action if this does not happen in the coming weeks.”