Paris:

French President Emmanuel Macron has vowed to name a new prime minister in the “coming days” to replace Michel Barnier, who was toppled by a no confidence vote after just three months in office.

Macron did not announce a name in an address to the nation late on Thursday and the appointment is no longer expected before Monday, multiple sources told AFP.

Barnier was Macron’s fifth prime minister since coming to power in 2017. Each successive premier has served for a shorter period than their predecessor and given the composition of the National Assembly, there is no guarantee that Barnier’s successor will last any longer than he did.

Here, AFP looks at the four names seen as the most likely contenders.

All the possible candidates so far are men and all were already in the running in September when Barnier was eventually appointed.

But it is far from ruled out that another candidate could emerge, with Barnier himself only coming into contention at the last moment back then.

Sebastien Lecornu

The ultimate Macron loyalist, Lecornu was the only key minister to stay on from the previous government in the last cabinet reshuffle in September, a measure of the importance of his job in the third year of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

A career politician, Lecornu, still only 38, started out as a parliamentary assistant aged just 19. He has held ministerial posts ever since Macron came to power in 2017 and was promoted to defence minister in May 2022.

He has worked staunchly to keep up assistance for Ukraine, while carefully remaining in the shadows with infrequent media appearances.

Some French media, including BFM-TV, reported that Macron had been close to naming Lecornu in his address on Thursday but decided to take more time after some within the presidential camp said the minister was too right-wing.

Francois Bayrou

A heavyweight politician who has been allied to Macron since he swept to power in the 2017 election campaign, Bayrou heads the MoDem party which is allied to, but not part of, Macron’s centrist force.

Bayrou, 73, was acquitted in February after a seven-year-long case over the fraudulent employment of parliamentary assistants by his party, with the judge ruling that he was owed the “benefit of the doubt”.

A three-time presidential candidate, Bayrou was named justice minister by Macron when he took the presidency in 2017.

He resigned the same year when the legal case was opened against him but he remained a key behind-the-scenes ally, with his acquittal opening up a potential return to government.

Xavier Bertrand

Bertrand, 59, is the right-wing head of the northern Hauts-de-France region and previously served as labour and health minister between 2005 and 2012 under presidents Jacques Chirac and Nicolas Sarkozy.

An articulate media performer, Bertrand unsuccessfully sought the nomination of the right-wing Republicans (LR) party to fight the 2022 presidential elections.

He remains close to Sarkozy who, despite criminal convictions in trials since leaving office, wields considerable influence over the traditional right.

Bernard Cazeneuve

Former Socialist Party grandee Bernard Cazeneuve, 61, held the post of prime minister for less than half a year under the presidency of Francois Hollande from 2016-2017.

He is better known for his much longer stint as interior minister under Hollande, which coincided with the radical Islamist attacks on Paris in November 2015.

Cazeneuve quit the Socialists in 2022 in protest at the party’s broad left-wing pact with factions including the hard-left France Unbowed (LFI) and still has a tense relationship with his former colleagues.

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

French President Emmanuel Macron.
| Photo Credit: AP

President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday sought a new Prime Minister to prevent France from sliding deeper into political turmoil after Michel Barnier’s government was ousted in a historic no-confidence vote in parliament.

Poised to be contemporary France’s shortest-serving premier, Mr. Barnier met Mr. Macron at the Elysee Palace to submit his resignation, after the defeat in parliament on Wednesday (December 4, 2024) forced his government to step down.

The vote was the first successful no-confidence action since a defeat for Georges Pompidou’s government in 1962, when Charles de Gaulle was President.

A majority of lawmakers on Wednesday supported the no-confidence vote proposed by the hard left and backed by the far right headed by Marine Le Pen.

Mr. Barnier’s record-quick ejection comes after snap parliamentary elections in June resulted in a hung parliament with no political force able to form an overall majority and the far right holding the key to the government’s survival.

The trigger for Mr. Barnier’s ouster was his 2025 budget plan including austerity measures that were unacceptable to a majority in parliament, but that he argued were necessary to stabilise France’s finances.

On Monday (December 2, 2024) he forced through a social security financing bill without a vote, but the ousting of the government means France is still without a budget.

President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday sought a new prime minister to prevent France from sliding deeper into political turmoil after Michel Barnier’s government was ousted in a historic no-confidence vote in parliament.

Poised to be contemporary France’s shortest-serving premier, Barnier met Macron at the Elysee Palace to submit his resignation, after the defeat in parliament on Wednesday forced his government to step down.

The vote was the first successful no-confidence action since a defeat for Georges Pompidou’s government in 1962, when Charles de Gaulle was president.

Macron was to meet both upper and lower house parliament speakers before giving an address to the nation at 1900 GMT.

The president is believed to be in a hurry to appoint the new premier to avoid a vacuum, according to multiple sources who spoke to AFP.

Limiting any impression of political chaos is all the more important for Macron who on Saturday will host world leaders — including US president-elect Donald Trump — for the reopening of Notre Dame cathedral in Paris after the devastating 2019 fire.

A majority of lawmakers on Wednesday supported the no-confidence vote proposed by the hard left and backed by the far right headed by Marine Le Pen.

Barnier’s record-quick ejection comes after snap parliamentary elections in June resulted in a hung parliament with no political force able to form an overall majority and the far right holding the key to the government’s survival.

The trigger for Barnier’s ouster was his 2025 budget plan including austerity measures that were unacceptable to a majority in parliament, but that he argued were necessary to stabilise France’s finances.

On Monday he forced through a social security financing bill without a vote, but the ousting of the government means France is still without a budget.

National Assembly Speaker Yael Braun-Pivet urged Macron to quickly choose a new premier, saying that France could not be allowed to “drift” for long.

“Macron alone in the face of an unprecedented political crisis,” said the Le Monde daily in its headline.

– ‘Political stalemate’ –

“France probably won’t have a 2025 budget,” said ING Economics in a note, predicting that the country “is entering a new era of political instability”.

Moody’s, a ratings agency, warned that Barnier’s fall “deepens the country’s political stalemate” and “reduces the probability of a consolidation of public finances”.

The Paris stock exchange fell at the opening on Thursday before recovering to show small gains. Yields on French government bonds were again under pressure in debt markets.

Strike calls across transport, education and other public sector services were maintained on Thursday despite the disappearance of the austerity budget that has prompted anger.

Macron has more than two years of his presidential term left, but some opponents are calling on him to resign.

“We are now calling on Macron to go,” Mathilde Panot, head of the parliamentary faction of the hard-left France Unbowed (LFI) party, told reporters.

She urged “early presidential elections” to solve the political crisis.

Macron has however vehemently rejected such a scenario, calling it “political fiction”.

Taking care not to crow over the government’s fall, Le Pen said in a television interview that, once a new premier is appointed, her party “would let them work” and help create a “budget that is acceptable for everyone”.

She also, conspicuously, did not call on Macron to resign.

– Bayrou-Macron lunch –

Barnier is the fifth prime minister to serve under Macron since he came to power in 2017, with each premier serving a successively shorter period.

Given the composition of the National Assembly, there is no guarantee that Barnier’s successor would last any longer.

Loyalist Defence Minister Sebastien Lecornu and Macron’s centrist ally Francois Bayrou have been touted as possible contenders, as has former Socialist premier and interior minister Bernard Cazeneuve.

Bayrou, who leads the MoDem party, had lunch with the president at the Elysee, a source close to him told AFP.

Before his address to the nation, Macron was also to meet Braun-Pivet and upper-house Senate speaker Gerard Larcher.

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

Paris:

French lawmakers on Wednesday voted to oust the government of Prime Minister Michel Barnier after just three months in office, a historic move which plunged the country further into political chaos.

For the first time in over sixty years, the National Assembly lower house toppled the incumbent government, approving a no-confidence motion that had been proposed by the hard left but which crucially was backed by the far-right headed by Marine Le Pen.

Barnier’s rapid ejection from office comes after snap parliamentary elections this summer which resulted in a hung parliament with no party having an overall majority and the far-right holding the key to the government’s survival.

President Emmanuel Macron now has the unenviable choice of picking a viable successor with over two years of his presidential term left.

The National Assembly debated a motion brought by the hard left in a standoff over next year’s austerity budget, after the prime minister on Monday forced through a social security financing bill without a vote.

With the support of the far-right, a majority of 331 MPs in the 577-member chamber voted to oust the government.

Speaker Yael Braun-Pivet confirmed Barnier would now have to “submit his resignation” to Macron and declared the session closed.

Macron flew back into Paris just ahead of the vote after wrapping up his three-day state visit to Saudi Arabia, an apparent world away from the domestic crisis.

He strolled earlier Wednesday through the desert sands of the Al-Ula oasis, an iconic tourist project of the kingdom, marvelling at ancient landmarks. After landing, he headed direct to the Elysee Palace.

On Tuesday, Macron accused Le Pen’s far-right of “unbearable cynicism” in backing the motion.

No new elections can be called within a year of last summer’s vote, narrowing Macron’s options.

Laurent Wauquiez, the head of right-wing deputies in parliament, said the far-right and hard-left bore the responsibility for a no-confidence vote that will “plunge the country into instability”.

– ‘His failure’ –

Some have suggested Macron himself should resign to break the impasse.

But Macron rejected those calls, saying such a scenario amounted to “political fiction”.

“It’s frankly not up to scratch to say these things,” Macron said during his trip to Saudi.

Eric Coquerel, a hard-left MP, said the motion against Barnier sounded the “death knell of Emmanuel Macron’s mandate”.

With markets nervous and France bracing for public-sector strikes over the threat of cutbacks that will shut schools and hit air and rail traffic, there is a growing sense of crisis.

The unions have called for civil servants, including teachers and air traffic controllers, to strike on Thursday over separate cost-cutting measures proposed by their respective ministries this autumn.

Meanwhile, Macron is due to host a major international event Saturday with the reopening of the Notre-Dame cathedral after the 2019 fire, with guests including Donald Trump on his first foreign trip since he was elected to be the next US president.

“His failure,” was left-wing daily Liberation’s front-page headline, with a picture of Macron, whose term runs until 2027.

– ‘Shattered strategy’ –

But in an editorial, Le Monde said Le Pen’s move risked upsetting her own supporters, such as retirees and business leaders, by toppling the government.

“In the space of a few minutes, she shattered the strategy of normalisation she had consistently pursued,” the daily said.

Some observers have suggested that Le Pen, 56, is seeking to bring down Macron before his term ends by ousting Barnier.

Le Pen is embroiled in a high-profile embezzlement trial. If found guilty in March, she could be blocked from participating in France’s next presidential election.

But if Macron stepped down soon, an election would have to be called within a month, potentially ahead of the verdict in her trial.

Candidates for the post of premier are few and far between, but loyalist Defence Minister Sebastien Lecornu and Macron’s centrist ally Francois Bayrou are possible contenders.

On the left, Macron could turn to former Socialist premier and interior minister Bernard Cazeneuve, a contender in September.

Macron is minded to appoint the new premier rapidly, several sources told AFP.

It was the first successful no-confidence vote since a defeat for Georges Pompidou’s government in 1962, when Charles de Gaulle was president.  

The lifespan of Barnier’s government is also the shortest of any administration since the Fifth Republic began in 1958.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

France is facing a critical moment as lawmakers vote on a no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Michel Barnier’s government. This vote is likely to have significant implications for the country’s political and economic stability.

French Prime Minister Michel Barnier delivers a speech during a ceremony organised by the Council of French Jewish Institutions (CRIF) to pay tribute to the victims of Hamas’ October 7, 2023 attacks on Israel, on the event’s first anniversary, in Paris, on October 7, 2024.
| Photo Credit: AFP

France’s new Prime Minister Michel Barnier on Tuesday (October 8, 2024) faces a motion of no-confidence brought by the left which is set to underline the fragility of his government even while having little chance of succeeding.

Mr. Barnier, a right-wing former EU Brexit negotiator, was appointed by centrist President Emmanuel Macron to bring some stability in a potentially testy “cohabitation” across the political divide after inconclusive legislative elections earlier this summer.

The veteran Premier, 73, has since sought to firmly take the reins, warning that France faces a financial crisis if its budget deficit is not narrowed and saying that tax rises could be in order for high earners.

Mr. Macron, whose term runs until 2027, has in the last weeks taken a noticeable back seat, especially on domestic issues while making uncharacteristically infrequent public comments.

The appointment of Mr. Barnier, a patrician figure who served stints as a Minister and EU commissioner, has also been a contrast for the French.

They have seen three Premiers who were almost unknown before their appointment come and go in the space of four years.

But Mr. Barnier and his government, named last month with a conspicuously right-wing tinge, could be toppled at any moment if a no-confidence motion were passed in the National Assembly lower house of government.

The left-wing New Popular Front (NFP) won the most seats of any coalition in the polls— even if the far-right National Rally (RN) emerged as the largest single party— and is still livid that Mr. Macron failed to appoint a leftist as Prime Minister.

“The existence of this government, in its composition and its orientation, is a negation of the result of the legislative elections,” states the motion, which is due to be put forward by Socialist Party (PS) leader Olivier Faure.

The left has also been angered by the hardline stances of the new Interior Minister, Bruno Retailleau, who has said there should be a referendum on immigration, although he admitted this was not possible under the constitution.

‘Give the product a chance’

However, the motion put forward by the NFP— a coalition of Socialists, Communists, hard-leftists and Greens— has little chance of succeeding as the RN’s MPs under three-time presidential candidate Marine Le Pen have made clear they will not back it on this occasion.

“I think the situation is serious enough not to bring down this government before it has got going,” RN MP Laure Lavalette told France 2 television.

“We are going to… give the product a chance… We cannot add to the chaos as you (the left) are doing,” she added.

However, the numbers could prove embarrassing for the Barnier government at this early stage, with some backing for the motion coming also from independents and even some dissenting members of Mr. Macron’s centrist faction unhappy at the prospect of tax rises.

Commentators have noted that the fate of Barnier’s government risks being at the RN’s mercy, vulnerable to a “sword of Damocles” wielded by Ms. Le Pen, who is expected to run for the presidency in 2027.

The Prime Minister, for his part, is well aware that he is walking on thin ice: “I know that I am in the hands of parliament,” he told La Tribune Dimanche.

New French Prime Minister Michel Barnier.
| Photo Credit: AP

French Prime Minister Michel Barnier said on Wednesday (September 11, 2024) that he will form his new government next week, potentially capping one period of political uncertainty ahead of a likely fight over the 2025 budget.

President Emmanuel Macron picked Mr. Barnier, a 73-year-old conservative and former Brexit negotiator, to lead the government two months after a snap legislative election called by Mr. Macron resulted in a leftist alliance winning the most votes but falling short of an absolute majority.

Watch:Who is Michel Barnier, France’s new PM?

Mr. Barnier has said he would defend some of the President’s key policies and toughen the government’s immigration stance. His government will be tasked with steering reforms and the budget through a hung parliament, amid pressure from the European Commission and bond markets for France to reduce its deficit.

Thousands took to the streets across France to protest President Emmanuel Macron’s decision to appoint conservative Michel Barnier as the prime minister

Macron’s announcement came on September 5th, almost two months after France’s snap elections in which no party won a majority

Barnier, who belongs to the Republicans (LR) party has accepted his role, saying, “There is a need for respect, appeasement and unity”

Who is Michel Barnier?

Born on January 9th, 1951, Barnier comes from humble origins in Southeast France’s La Tronche.

Barnier has served as the Cabinet Minister of Environment, European Affairs, Foreign Affairs and Agriculture and Fisheries under four different conservative Prime Ministers.

He has repeatedly voted for conservative choices like opposing the decriminalisation of same-sex relations among underage couples, and abolishing capital punishment.

Barnier was the European Union’s chief negotiator with Britain during the Brexit talks in 2016.

Divided France

Macron called for snap elections in July this year after Marin Le Pen’s National Rally (RN) defeated his Renaissance party in the European Parliament elections.

In the elections to the National Assembly, which were held in two rounds on June 30th and July 7th and witnessed the highest turnout since 1981, no party won a majority.

The leftwing New Popular Front finished first with 182 seats, followed by Macron’s Ensemble which won 161 seats and RN finished with 142 seats

However, Macron had called for centrist parties to unite to form a government

The power to appoint the prime minister rests solely on the president, according to the French system

Macron rejected the Leftwing’s Prime Minister pick, socialist progressive Lucie Castets, claiming that “Institutional stability dictates that this option should not be retained”.

Read the full report here

Report: Suchitra Karthikeyan

Voiceover: Jude Weston

Production: Gayatri Menon

New French prime minister Michel Barnier delivers a speech during the handover ceremony, Thursday, Sept. 5, 2024 in Paris. President Emmanuel Macron has named EU’s Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier as France’s new prime minister after more than 50 days of caretaker government.
| Photo Credit: AP

Choosing conservative Michel Barnier as his Prime Minister, French President Emmanuel Macron has tasked the 73-year-old veteran politician with the tricky challenge of winning the confidence of a starkly divided National Assembly. Not a stranger to tackling sticky situations, the former EU chief negotiator accepted his role, saying, “There is a need for respect, appeasement and unity,” as the Left parties cry afoul over a ‘stolen election’.

Born on January 9, 1951, Mr. Barnier comes from humble origins in Southeast France’s La Tronche. Conservative ideals, stemmed during his teenage years in the right-wing Union for the Defence of the Republic (UDR) party, led Mr. Barnier to make his electoral debut in 1978, representing Savoie in the National Assembly. As an avid skier and hiker, Mr. Barnier is credited for bringing the Winter Olympics to his hometown, Savoie, in 1992.

Dubbed as a ‘well-grounded Republican’, Mr. Barnier has served as the Cabinet Minister of Environment (1993-95), European Affairs (1995-97), Foreign Affairs (2004-05) and Agriculture and Fisheries (2007-09) under four different conservative Prime Ministers. He has repeatedly voted for conservative choices like opposing decriminalisation of same sex relations among underage couples, abolishing capital punishment, which might win him the right-wing politicians favour in Parliament.

As the EU’s largest economy – the U.K. – chose to leave the bloc in 2016, Mr. Barnier, who had lost the race to be President of the European Commission to Jean-Claude Juncker in 2014, was tapped to negotiate the ‘Brexit’ deal. Hand-picked by Mr. Juncker for his methodical, cool-headed approach and his experience as the EU’s internal market commissioner (2010-14), Mr. Barnier negotiated with the U.K.’s changing leadership for its ‘costly and painful divorce’. After years of negotiations where he built consensus among the EU’s 27 members, he led the trade talks between the U.K. and the EU, which were finally ratified in 2020 and then was made in-charge of implementing it.

With the rising protests against Mr. Macron’s administration, Mr. Barnier once again turned his attention to French politics, vying a Presidential run as the Republican candidate in the 2022 French elections. Opposing Mr. Macron’s liberal policies, he called for tightening immigration restrictions in France, opening 20,000 new prison places and stringent sentencing for crimes and misdemeanours. While his political views were similar to far-right candidate Marin Le Pen, his economic views echo with Mr. Macron on cutting taxes, raising retirement age and promoting ease of business. His bid ended after he came third in the 2021 Republican Congress with a mere 23.93% votes.

Divided France

Since then, Mr. Barnier remained silent politically for three years till Mr. Macron called for snap elections in July this year after Ms. Le Pen’s National Rally (RN) defeated his Renaissance party in the European Parliament elections. In the elections, which were held in two rounds on June 30 and July 7 and Witnessed the highest turnout since 1981, no party won a majority. The leftwing New Popular Front (NPF) finished first with 182 seats, followed by Mr. Macron’s centrist RN.

Mr. Macron rejected the Left’s PM pick, 37-year-old socialist progressive Lucie Castets, claiming that “Institutional stability dictates that this option should not be retained”.

Seeking a consensus builder, Mr. Macron turned to Mr. Barnier with a view that the Brexit negotiator would not overturn his most significant policies and also win the far-right, conservative and centrist votes in the National Assembly. Mr. Barnier, whose appointment comes after 50 days of caretaker government headed by Gabriel Attal, took office on September 5 in the presence of his wife of 40 years, Isabelle Altmayer – a lawyer by profession – at the Prime Minister’s residence at Hôtel Matignon.

However, Mr. Barnier’s problems are far from over. His appointment has already been rejected by the Left. Its influential leader Jean-Luc Melenchon claimed that Mr. Barnier’s appointment flew in the face of the public mandate, asserting, “The election has been stolen”.

While there is no formal time limit for the President to pick a new Cabinet proposed by his Prime Minister, a new government is generally formed within days of the PM’s appointment. Avoiding toppling of his new government, Mr. Barnier must once again navigate political factions to strike a ‘balanced deal’.

French President Emmanuel Macron (L) poses with European Commission Chief Negotiator Michel Barnier prior to their meeting at the Elysee palace in Paris, on January 31, 2020. Michel Barnier was named as France’s new Prime Minister.
| Photo Credit: AFP

President Emmanuel Macron named EU former Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier as France’s new Prime Minister on Thursday (September 5, 2024) after more than 50 days of caretaker government.

The appointment of the 73-year-old Mr. Barnier follows weeks of intense efforts by Mr. Macron and his aides to find a candidate who might be able to build loose groupings of backers in parliament and survive possible attempts by Mr. Macron’s opponents to quickly topple the new government that Mr. Barnier will now put together and lead.

A statement from Mr. Macron’s office announcing Mr. Barnier’s appointment said he’d been tasked “with forming a unifying government to serve the country and the French people.”

“This appointment comes after an unprecedented cycle of consultations during which, in accordance with his constitutional duty, the President ensured that the Prime Minister and the future government would meet the conditions to be as stable as possible and give themselves the chances of uniting as broadly as possible,” the statement said.

Mr. Barnier, a career politician proud of his humble roots in France’s Alpine region of Haute-Savoie, is no stranger to complex and difficult tasks: He was the European Union’s chief negotiator in the difficult talks with Britain over its Brexit departure from the bloc.

Mr. Barnier replaces Gabriel Attal, who resigned on July 16 following quick-fire legislative elections that produced a divided and hung parliament, plunging France into political turmoil.

But Mr. Macron kept Mr. Attal and his ministers on in a caretaker capacity, handling day-to-day affairs, so political instability wouldn’t overshadow the July 26-Aug. 11 Paris Olympics, when France was in the global spotlight.

In a political career over more than 50 years, Mr. Barnier has served as French foreign, European affairs, environment and agriculture minister — and twice as a European commissioner.

Influential far-left leader Jean-Luc Melenchon immediately came out against Mr. Barnier’s appointment and predicted the new Prime Minister would not get a majority backing in the bitterly divided National Assembly.

Mr. Melenchon said the appointment flew in the face of the July 7 legislative election results that left parliament’s lower house split between three main blocs — the left, including Mr. Melenchon’s party; the center where Mr. Macron has based his support, and the far right, converging around anti-immigration leader Marine Le Pen.

“The election has been stolen,” Mr. Melenchon asserted.