France unveils new government as budget fight approaches. emmanuel macron news
President Macron announced a new government by forming a team under his fourth Prime Minister of the year, François Bayrou.
France has unveiled a new government comprised of former ministers and senior civil servants, with Prime Minister Francois Bayrou hoping they can oversee passage of the 2025 budget and avoid the collapse that could threaten the country’s economy. Will deepen the crisis.
Bayreu on Monday put together a government that entered office after months of political deadlock and pressure from financial markets to reduce France’s rising debt.
The names were read out by Alexis Kohler, President Emmanuel Macron’s chief of staff.
Eric Lombard, 66, head of the Caisse des Depots, the investment arm of the French government, became finance minister, working with Emilie de Montchallin as budget minister.
Conservative Bruno Reteleau remained interior minister. Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot and Defense Minister Sébastien Lecornu also remained in their posts.
Elisabeth Borne, who stepped down as prime minister in January, becomes education minister, while former interior minister Gerard Darmanin will lead the Justice Ministry.
Bayeru has struggled for nearly 10 days to form a government as he seeks to stave off potential no-confidence votes from the far right and left. He will need to immediately begin work on passing the 2025 budget bill after his predecessor, former Prime Minister Michel Barnier, was toppled by parliamentary pushback against the proposed legislation.
The inclusion of the two former prime ministers indicates Macron’s desire for a heavyweight government that will enjoy stability and not share Barnier’s fate.
The priority for Bayeru, 73, is to ensure his government can avoid a no-confidence vote and pass a cost-cutting budget for 2025.
The announcement came as France observed a day of mourning for victims in the cyclone-hit Indian Ocean archipelago of Mayotte, France’s poorest overseas territory.
Bayru, head of the centrist Modem group, affiliated with Macron’s party, was appointed on 13 December. Many have already predicted that Bayru will struggle to survive.
France has been stuck in deadlock since Macron gambled on snap elections in hopes of solidifying his authority earlier this year. The move backfired and voters returned a parliament divided between three rival factions.
