Newly-appointed French Prime Minister François Bayrou announced a new government on Monday.
The cabinet is an attempt to stabilize a fractured political landscape and address urgent legislative challenges, particularly the passing of the 2025 budget.
Key appointments include Eric Lombard as finance minister, Bruno Retailleau retaining his role as interior minister, and Sébastien Lecornu and Jean-Noël Barrot continuing as defense and foreign ministers, respectively. Former Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne returns as education minister.
Bayrou, a seasoned centrist politician, faces a daunting task: navigating a deeply divided parliament to tackle France’s mounting debt and deficit, which has reached 6% of GDP.
Bayrou has been a close ally of Macron since the latter assumed office in 2017. He is the President’s fourth Prime Minister appointee this year. His predecessor lasted only three months in the post, before losing a vote of confidence earlier this month.
That no confidence vote came after clashes over budget cuts, and was the first time in more than a half-century that the National Assembly voted to oust a prime minister from office.
Bayrou must now secure support from both moderate left- and right-wing lawmakers while countering potential further no-confidence votes from the far-right National Rally of Marine Le Pen and hard-left France Unbowed.
