French President Macron Appoints Fourth Prime Minister During His Term and Tasks Him with Forming a Government

On Friday, French President Emmanuel Macron appointed François Bayrou, head of the presidential bloc MoDem party, as the new Prime Minister.

This was reported on the Elysee Palace website.

‘The President of the Republic has appointed Mr François Bayrou as Prime Minister and instructed him to form a government,’ the statement said. 

This is the fourth head of government after the re-election of Emmanuel Macron in April 2022.

Leaving the General High Commission for Planning, his current post, Prime Minister François Bayrou assured the press that ‘everyone understands the complexity of the task’. ‘Everyone says that there is a way that unites people, not divides them. I believe that reconciliation is necessary,’ he added, mentioning in particular the figure of Henry IV, who was born on 13 December 1553, and about whom he “wrote a lot”.

There is no information on the date of formation of François Bayrou's government. The only next known deadline is the transfer of power between Michel Barnier and François Bayrou, which will take place at 17:00.

The Constitution does not set a deadline for the President of the Republic, who appoints members of the government on the proposal of the Prime Minister.

As a reminder, Michel Barnier was appointed on 5 September and his government was formed on 21 September, more than two weeks after a series of ‘consultations’ with party leaders.