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France’s Macron Appoints New Government In Shift To Right

Opposition politicians from the left have already announced they will challenge his government with a confidence motion.


(FILES) France’s President Emmanuel Macron looks on as he leaves after casting his vote in the second round of France’s legislative election at a polling station in Le Touquet, northern France on July 7, 2024. (Photo by Ludovic MARIN / AFP)

 

 

French President Emmanuel Macron named a new government led by Prime Minister Michel Barnier Saturday, marked by a shift to the right 11 weeks after an inconclusive parliamentary election.

The first major task for Barnier, appointed just over two weeks ago, will be to submit a 2025 budget plan addressing France’s financial situation, which the prime minister this week called “very serious”.

Conservative Barnier is best known internationally for leading the European Union’s Brexit negotiations with the UK.

More recently, he has had the difficult job of submitting a cabinet for Macron’s approval that has the best chance of surviving a no-confidence motion in parliament.

Tough talks on the distribution of the 39 cabinet posts continued right up to Saturday’s official announcement, insiders said, with moments of high tension between the president and his prime minister.

Opposition politicians from the left have already announced they will challenge his government with a confidence motion.

In the July election, a left-wing bloc called the New Popular Front (NFP) won the most parliamentary seats of any political bloc, but not enough for an overall majority.

Macron argued that the left would be unable to muster enough support to form a government that would not immediately be brought down in parliament.

He turned instead to Barnier to lead a government drawing mostly on parliamentary support from Macron’s allies, as well as from the conservative Republicans (LR) and the centrists groups.

 

 

(COMBO) This combination of files photographs created on September 21, 2024 shows newly-appointed members of the cabinet of French Prime Minister Michel Barnier (topL) following its announcement (From top 1st row-top-from left) Justice Minister Didier Migaud; Minister for regional partnership and decentralisation, Catherine Vautrin; Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau; Education Minister Anne Genetet and Foreign and European Affairs Minister Jean-Noel Barrot. (2nd row-from left) Minister of Solidarity, Autonomy and Gender Equality Paul Christophe; Minister of housing and urban renewal Valerie Letard; Culture Minister Rachida Dati; Minister for the Armed Forces Sebastien Lecornu; Minister for Ecological Transition, Energy, Climate and risk prevention Agnes Pannier-Runacher; Minister for Economy, Finance and Industry Antoine Armand; Minister for Health and access to care Genevieve Darrieussecq. (Bottom row-from left) Minister of Agriculture, food sovereignty and forestry Annie Genevard; Minister of labour and employment Astrid Panosyan-Bouvet; Minister of sports, youth and associations Gil Averous; Higher Education and Research Minister Patrick Hetzel; Minister for the civil service, simplification and transformation of public action Guillaume Kasbarian; Minister attached to the Prime Minister, responsible for Overseas Francois-Noel Buffet; Minister attached to the Prime Minister, responsible for the budget and public accounts Laurent Saint-Martin. (Photo by various sources / AFP)

 

‘No future’

Macron was counting too, on a neutral stance from the far right — but the leader of the National Rally (RN) Jordan Bardella was quick to condemn the composition of the new government.

It marked “a return to Macronism” and so had “no future whatsoever”, he said Saturday.

At the other end of the political spectrum, far-left firebrand Jean-Luc Melenchon called the new lineup “a government of the general election losers”.

France, he said, should “get rid” of the government “as soon as possible”, while his party threatened to “increase popular pressure” on the government.

Socialist party chairman Oliver Faure dismissed Barnier’s cabinet as “a reactionary government that gives democracy the finger”.

Among the new faces in key cabinet posts are Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot, a centrist, while conservative Bruno Retailleau takes over at the interior ministry.

His portfolio covers immigration and his right-wing credentials have created unease even in Macron’s own camp.

Defence Minister Sebastien Lecornu, a close Macron ally, has kept his job.

The difficult job of submitting a budget plan to parliament next month falls to 33-year-old Antoine Armand, the new finance minister. He has previously served as head of parliament’s economic affairs commission.

The only left-of-centre politician is a  little-known former Socialist Didier Migaud who was named justice minister.

 

Street protests

Even before the announcement, thousands of people with left-leaning sympathies took to the streets in Paris, the southern port city of Marseille and elsewhere on Saturday to protest.

They were objecting to a cabinet they say does not reflect the outcome of the parliamentary election.

The new government has nobody from inside the NFP bloc.

“I am here because this outcome does not correspond to how people voted,” said Violette Bourguignon, 21, demonstrating in Paris.

“I am worried and I’m angry. What is the point of having an election at all?” she said.

Barnier is to address parliament with a key policy speech on October 1.

He then has the urgent task of submitting a budget plan to the National Assembly aimed at controlling France’s rising budget deficit and debt mountain — the first major test of his administration.

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

France’s public-sector deficit is projected to reach around 5.6 percent of GDP this year and go over six percent in 2025, which compares with EU rules calling for a three-percent ceiling on deficits.

“I am discovering that the country’s budgetary situation is very serious,” Barnier said in a statement to AFP on Wednesday, adding that the situation required “more than just pretty statements”.

The new cabinet’s first meeting is scheduled for Monday afternoon.