France set to finally get new government

France's outgoing Minister for Agriculture and Food Sovereignty Marc Fesneau (R) and Secretary General of French centrist Mouvement Democrate (MoDem) party Maud Gatel (L) arrive at the Hotel Matignon in Paris, on September 19, 2024. French Prime Minister Michel Barnier is conviening on September 19, 2024, party leaders and groups previously consulted, following his separate meetings earlier in the day with the President of the National Assembly Yaël Braun-Pivet and the President of the Senate Gérard Larcher, in a bid to form a government cabinet. [AFP]

French President Emmanuel Macron was on Friday weighing a new government proposed by Prime Minister Michel Barnier which includes new faces in almost all key posts and marks a fresh shift to the right.

The full cabinet line-up was due to be announced later Friday or by Sunday at the latest, multiple sources told AFP, ending two-and-a-half months of deadlock created by inconclusive legislative elections that wrapped up in July.

While there appeared to be no major surprises or big name entrants into the cabinet, there are set to be new foreign, economy and interior ministers, with only the defence minister remaining unchanged among the key offices of state.

Barnier is proposing Europe Minister Jean-Noel Barrot as foreign minister, a source close to Macron's political faction, asking not to be named, told AFP.

The move would be a major promotion for the 41-year-old, whose slick media appearances have impressed observers, but he would face the challenge of boosting France's presence on the international stage.

Meanwhile Bruno Retailleau, who heads the faction of the right-wing The Republicans (LR) in France's upper house Senate, is to take on the interior ministry, according to several sources who spoke to AFP.

Landing the interior ministry, which oversees the police and domestic security, would be seen as a major success for the right.

And another meteoric rise will see Antoine Armand, 33, the head of parliament's economic affairs commission installed as economy minister.

One key person said to be staying on is Defence Minister Sebastien Lecornu who is believed to enjoy a close and trusting relationship with Macron.

Tense lunch 

Barnier was at the Elysee Palace late Thursday to discuss the nominations with Macron.

The list is a government "ready to act in the service of the French people", the premier's office said. It later said the new government would be unveiled "before Sunday".

Macron could seek to veto Barnier's proposals but doing so would cause immense tensions with his premier at this stage.

Sources added that names still need to be vetted to ensure they have no conflicts of interest before entering government, as is customary.

But Macron "will not censor any name", said a source close to him asking not to be named.

There had been tensions earlier this week between centrist Macron and Barnier, who comes from the LR, over the balance of the government notably at a lunch earlier this week that reports said was far from cordial.

Le Monde daily said that Barnier had even raised the possibility of resigning just days into the job. But the tensions were then resolved on Thursday.

'Very serious' 

Politics in France has been deadlocked since the June-July snap legislative elections left it with a hung parliament.

Barnier, the European Union's former top Brexit negotiator and a right-winger, was appointed earlier this month by Macron in an attempt to breach the impasse.

Key posts were vacant with Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire stepping down after occupying his post since Macron came to power in 2017 and Foreign Minister Stephane Sejourne tapped by Macron to be France's new EU commissioner.

However there seems to be no place in the cabinet for the ambitious Gerald Darmanin, interior minister since 2020 and who had reportedly long coveted the job of foreign minister.

The 73-year-old Barnier minister has faced a raft of challenges since taking office.

The prime minister had warned on Wednesday that France's budgetary situation was "very serious".

France was placed on a formal procedure for violating EU budgetary rules before Barnier was picked as head of government.

Macron had hoped to reassert his relative majority in parliament by calling for the elections in late June and early July, but the plan backfired.

A left-wing alliance nabbed the most seats in the lower house National Assembly, but does not have a working majority.

Macron's centrist faction is now the second largest bloc.

The far right is third, but the anti-immigration National Rally emerged from the election as the single largest party.