Plot twist in France: the president Emmanuel Macron Michel Barnier appointed, former minister and former European commissioner, as new prime minister, in an attempt to unblock the political situation in the country. After weeks of negotiations and numerous names in the running, Barnier, an exponent of the anti-Le Pen Republican right, emerged as the favorite candidate. Previously, the names of prominent figures such as the former Prime Minister Bernard Cazeneuve and the conservative Xavier Bertrand, then excluded from the race.
“We have had him in our sights for a long time,” says an adviser to the Elysée. Sixty days after the second round of legislative elections and after two weeks of formal and informal consultations, the French president has finally made his choice: Michel Barnier has been “tasked with establishing a unification government at the service of the country and the French people,” the Elysée announced in a press release. He will be the oldest prime minister of the Fifth Republic and will succeed the youngest, Gabriel Attal, who is 35.
Who is Michel Barnier, the new French Prime Minister?
With a political career spanning more than four decades, Barnier, 73, has held numerous senior roles at both national and European level. A graduate of the Escp Europe in Paris in 1972, he began his political career as a Member of theNational Assembly in five terms between 1978 and 1993, he then served as senator and president of the general council of Savoy.
Barnier is a right-wing French politician belonging to the Republican party and has a long career characterized by a conservative vision. Throughout his career, Barnier has held numerous high-profile positions. He was environment Minister in the government of Édouard Balladur (1993-1995) and Minister Delegate for European Affairs in the government of Alain Juppé (1995-1997). Subsequently, he had an important experience at European level as Commissioner for Regional Policy and Institutional Reform, and as European Commissioner for Internal Market and Financial Services from 1999 to 2004, and managed the complex Brexit negotiations like EU chief negotiator from the 2016 2021.
Mélenchon rises up against Macron
The reaction of the leader of La France Insoumise, the maximalist wing of the Popular Front, Jean-Luc Mélenchon, was immediate and harsh. He accused Macron of betraying the electoral response and is preparing to fight first in the streets, with the demonstration on September 7, and then in Parliament where it will not be easy for Barnier to gather a majority.
