Former Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier has been appointed French prime minister.
After facing weeks of pressure following the tumultuous French elections, President Emmanuel Macron has appointed Mr Barnier to the post.
France has been in a state of flux since Mr Macron’s party lost its majority in parliament amid a rise in seats for Marine Le Pen’s far-right party.
Ms Le Pen has said National Rally will not be part of a government led by Mr Barnier, 73.
Mr Barnier faces a vote of confidence by MPs in order to be able to stand as prime minister of the 68m-strong country.
Emmanuel Macron and Mr Barnier. Pic: AP
Mr Barnier, who once described former UK prime minister Boris Johnson as a “bulldozer”, led the EU’s talks with Britain over its exit from the bloc from 2016 to 2021.
Prior to that, the conservative politician held roles in various French governments and was also EU Commissioner.
He is staunchly pro-European and has spent his career as a moderate politician, though he toughened his discourse considerably during his failed 2021 bid to get his conservative party’s ticket for the presidential election, saying immigration was out of control.
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President Macron had considered a string of candidates for prime minister, searching for someone with enough support to guarantee a stable government.
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”.
Ms Le Pen responded to Mr Barnier’s appointment saying: “The National Rally will not participate in a government of
any kind whatsoever of Mr Barnier’s.
“For the rest, that is to say on the fundamental issues, we are waiting to see what Mr Barnier’s general policy speech is and the way in which he leads the compromises that will be necessary on the budget.”
Ms Le Pen’s party came third in the July vote, after the left-wing New Popular Front came first and Mr Macron’s Ensemble alliance came in second.
The far-right party, however, had won the first round of voting on 30 June.
National Rally president Jordan Bardella commented on X: “After an interminable wait, unworthy of a great democracy,
we acknowledge the appointment of Michel Barnier as prime minister of Emmanuel Macron.
“We will judge his general policy speech, his budgetary decisions and his actions on the evidence.
“We will plead for the major emergencies of the French – the cost of living, security, immigration – to finally be addressed, and we reserve all political means of action if this is not the case in the coming weeks.”
