French President Emmanuel Macron appointed Francois Bayrou as his fourth prime minister of 2024 on Friday, entrusting the veteran centrist with navigating France through its second major political crisis in six months.
Bayrou, a longtime ally of Macron, faces the immediate challenge of passing a special law to extend the 2024 budget, with a more contentious battle over the 2025 budget bill looming early next year.
Parliamentary resistance to the 2025 legislation led to the collapse of former Prime Minister Michel Barnier’s government.
At 73, Bayrou is expected to announce his Cabinet lineup in the coming days. However, he inherits a deeply divided parliament split into three rival blocs, making legislative progress as challenging as it was for his predecessor. His close ties to the unpopular Macron may also hinder his ability to rally support.
Jordan Bardella, president of the far-right National Rally party, said his party would not immediately call for a no-confidence vote against Bayrou.
France’s prolonged political turmoil has cast doubt on whether Macron can complete his second presidential term, set to end in 2027.
It has also driven up French borrowing costs and created a power vacuum at the heart of Europe, just as Donald Trump prepares for a potential return to the White House.
Macron spent the days after Barnier’s ouster meeting leaders from across the political spectrum, from conservatives to Communists, to secure backing for Bayrou. Notably, far-right National Rally and hard-left France Unbowed were excluded from the discussions.
Any involvement of the Socialist Party in a coalition could come at a cost for Macron during next year’s budget negotiations.
“Now we will see how many billions the support of the Socialist Party will cost,” a government adviser said Friday.
Macron hopes Bayrou can avoid no-confidence votes until at least July when France could hold a new parliamentary election. However, if the government falls again, Macron’s presidency will likely face intense scrutiny.
Bayrou, founder of the Democratic Movement (MoDem) party, which has been part of Macron’s ruling coalition since 2017, has run for president three times. A native of southwestern France, he draws on his rural roots as the longtime mayor of Pau.
Macron previously appointed Bayrou as justice minister in 2017, but he resigned weeks later amid an investigation into his party’s alleged misuse of funds for parliamentary assistants. Bayrou was cleared of fraud charges earlier this year.
Bayrou’s first major test will come early next year when lawmakers must pass the 2025 budget bill, which is expected to include austerity measures.
The fractured National Assembly made nearly ungovernable after Macron’s snap election in June, means Bayrou’s government will likely operate on a precarious, day-to-day basis, vulnerable to opposition attacks.
Barnier’s proposed budget, which aimed to save 60 billion euros ($63 billion) to address investor concerns over France’s 6% deficit, was rejected as too harsh by both far-right and far-left factions. The government’s failure to break the deadlock has driven French borrowing costs even higher.
