Macron nominates former Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier as new PM

PARIS | Xinhua | French President Emmanuel Macron has nominated former Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier as the new prime minister, the Elysee announced on Thursday.

Macron has tasked Barnier with forming a unified government to serve the country and the French people, the Elysee said in a press release.

Born in 1951, Barnier is currently the oldest prime minister in the history of the Fifth Republic. The handover from the youngest Prime Minister Gabriel Attal took place at around 6:30 p.m. local time (1630 GMT).

Speaking at the handover ceremony, Barnier said that as the new prime minister, he intends to address “the challenges, the anger, the suffering, and the sense of abandonment and injustice” that the country is currently experiencing.

He noted that there would be “changes and ruptures” during his time serving as head of government.

Stating that the French people expect a prime minister who speaks honestly about financial debt, ecological debt, and France’s influence in Europe, Barnier stressed that he would “act more than talk.”

To address France’s urgent issues, Barnier said it would require “a lot of listening and respect towards all the political forces in the government.” “Because I have learned that good ideas come from everywhere, and elsewhere,” he added.

According to the Elysee, Barnier’s nomination came after an unprecedented cycle of consultations. Macron ensured that the future government led by Barnier would meet the conditions of being “as stable as possible and give themselves the chance to unite as broadly as possible,” the press release added.

On July 16, Macron accepted Attal’s resignation but asked him to remain in charge of a caretaker government until a new cabinet is formed.

In the two rounds of legislative elections held on June 30 and July 7, Macron’s centrist coalition finished second with 163 seats, trailing the left-wing parties’ alliance, the New Popular Front (NFP). The NFP secured a relative majority with 182 seats in the 577-member National Assembly.

Macron’s nomination of Barnier from the right-wing party The Republicans (LR) was criticized by the left-wing parties, who expected an NFP candidate in line with the election results.

Jean-Luc Melenchon, head of the far-left party La France Insoumise (LFI), said that the nomination shows Macron has decided to “officially deny” the results of the snap legislative elections. The prime minister should come from the NFP alliance, he added.

Meanwhile, the First Secretary of the Socialist Party Olivier Faure said that Barnier’s nomination brings “democratic denial to its peak,” emphasizing that the LR only came fourth in the legislative elections.

As a pro-European politician, Barnier’s nomination has not met with opposition from the French far-right party National Rally (RN).

The RN’s ex-President Marine Le Pen said on her X account that she and her party members would be “attentive” to the project that the new prime minister would implement.

Along with Le Pen, the current RN President Jordan Bardella said that the new prime minister should “respect” the 11 million voters who chose the RN in the legislative elections.

“We reserve all political means of action,” Bardella said on his X account, urging Barnier to address issues such as purchasing power, security, and immigration.

Former French President Francois Hollande, who is now a Socialist Party deputy, said on X the RN has given a form of “approval” for Barnier’s nomination.

Barnier’s first urgent mission is to form a government capable of completing a draft budget for 2025 before Oct. 1 and submit it for voting in a National Assembly that has so far been hostile towards the right-wing prime minister.

Once his government is formed, Barnier will need to outline his overall policy plan detailing what he intends to do as prime minister.

His general policy will determine whether the far-right party RN, led by Jordan Bardella, will initiate a no-confidence motion in the National Assembly against Barnier, like the left-wing parties’ alliance NFP has announced to do.

Barnier was elected to the French National Assembly in 1978, becoming the youngest deputy at that time in France. Elected as president of the departmental council of Savoie, he led the city of Albertville to win the hosting of the 1992 Winter Olympic Games.

During his political career, he has served as French environment minister, minister delegate for Europe, foreign affairs minister, and agriculture minister. He also served as the European Union’s chief Brexit negotiator. ■