France's Macron announces fourth government of the year

French President Emmanuel Macron named a new government Monday evening, putting together a team under Francois Bayrou, his fourth prime minister of the year, to drag the second-largest EU economy out of political crisis. Macron named former prime minister Elisabeth Borne, 63, education minister in a new cabinet under centrist Bayrou. Another former premier, Manuel Valls, 62, returned as overseas territories minister, while former interior minister Gerald Darmanin became justice minister. Both Defence Minister Sebastien Lecornu and Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot kept their jobs, the presidency said. Lecornu, a 38-year-old loyalist with a keen political nose, has served in every government since Macron's first election as president in 2017. Conservative Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau, who has vowed to crack down on illegal immigration, and right-wing Culture Minister Rachida Dati, also stayed in their posts. The difficult job of delivering a budget plan for next year falls to Eric Lombard, the 66-year-old head of public-sector lender Caisse des Depots (CDC), who was named economy minister. "I'm very proud of the team we're presenting this evening," Bayrou said on X, adding his "experienced" government would aim to "rebuild trust". The inclusion of two former prime ministers indicates Macron's desire for a heavyweight government that will enjoy stability and not share the fate of Bayrou's predecessor, Michel Barnier, ousted in a no-confidence vote following a standoff over an austerity budget. Bayrou had hoped to bring in figures from the left, right and centre to protect his government from possible censure, but his 35-member team does not include any representatives of the left-wing coalition New Popular Front, which has won the most seats in snap legislative elections this summer. 'Extreme right in power' Left-wing politicians were livid. "It's not a government, it's a provocation. The extreme right in power under the watchful eye of the extreme right," Socialist leader Olivier Faure said on X. Macron will gather Bayrou's team on January 3 for a first cabinet meeting, the presidency said. The priority for Bayrou, 73, is to make sure his government can survive a no-confidence vote and that it passes a cost-cutting budget for 2025. (FILES) French President Emmanuel Macron (L) speaks with French President of the Modem party Francois Bayrou and mayor of Pau and High Commissioner for Planning Francois Bayrou during a reception with French mayors at the Elysee Palace, on the sidelines of the 105th session of the Congress of Mayors organised by the "France's Mayors' Association" (AMF), in Paris, on November 22, 2023. President Emmanuel Macron named on December 13, 2024 centrist leader Francois Bayrou as his new Prime minister, the presidency said, handing him the task of hauling France out of months of political crisis. [AFP] The unexpected comeback of Valls, premier from 2014 to 2016, as the head of the overseas territories ministry indicates the importance of the post after authorities were strongly criticised for their response to the deadly cyclone on the Indian Ocean territory of Mayotte, which killed at least 35 people. Darmanin had long been known to covet the post of foreign minister, but after days of intense discussions will have to content himself with the justice ministry. Just before the official announcement, heavyweight right-wing politician Xavier Bertrand announced he would not be part of the government. He alleged it had been formed with the implicit "backing" of far-right leader Marine Le Pen's National Rally, which will play a key role in ensuring its survival. "The prime minister informed me this morning, contrary to what he had proposed yesterday, that he was no longer in a position to entrust me with responsibility for the justice ministry due to opposition from National Rally," Bertrand said. Bertrand is a major irritant for the far right, which he has long opposed. The prime minister denied the far-right had influenced the composition of his government. "It is not true that any influence whatsoever was exerted on me," he told BFMTV. 'Government of last chance' Le Pen warned that Bayrou's government "will have to change its methods, listen to its opponents and build a budget that takes account of the choices expressed at the ballot box". "Nothing can be done or decided behind the backs of eleven million French people," she said on X, referring to her supporters. The announcement came as France observed a day of mourning for victims in cyclone-hit Mayotte, France's poorest overseas territory. Bayrou was appointed on December 13. He is the sixth prime minister of Macron's mandate. France has been mired in deadlock since Macron gambled on snap elections this summer in the hopes of bolstering his authority. The move backfired, with voters electing a parliament fractured between three rival blocs. Le Pen suggested Macron has been weakened by months of political crisis, telling Le Parisien last week she was "preparing for an early presidential election." In an editorial for Le Figaro, Vincent Tremolet de Villers wrote: "Macron-Bayrou, the government of the last chance."

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