French President Emmanuel Macron is yet to appoint a PM, two months after a snap election. He is considering whether Michel Barnier, the former European Union Brexit negotiator, would be a viable option, a source said.
Barnier, aged 73, led the EU’s talks with Britain over its exit from the bloc from 2016-2021. Prior to that, the conservative politician held roles in various French governments and was also EU Commissioner.
Political Deadlock
Macron has considered a string of potential prime ministers in recent weeks. None of these have mustered enough support to guarantee a stable government. There is also no guarantee that it would be different for Barnier or for Macron ally Francois Bayrou. French media says Bayrou is also considered as a possible candidate.
But at least the far-right National Rally (RN) has signalled it would not immediately censor Barnier or Bayrou, if they met certain conditions. RN is one the biggest parties in parliament after the early July election.
Barnier For PM?
Barnier is a staunch pro-European and a career, moderate, politician. But he toughened his discourse considerably during his failed 2021 bid to get his conservative party’s ticket for the presidential election. He said immigration was out of control – something the RN agrees with.
RN lawmaker Sebastien Chenu told BFM TV that the far-right party would wait to see what Barnier has to say on immigration, and on changing France’s voting system.
Lawmaker Laurent Jacobelli, also from the RN, said a condition was that they would agree to dissolving parliament as soon as possible – which would be early July next year.
“The RN wants a prime minister who is committed to dissolving as soon as possible and establishing proportional representation (for parliamentary elections),” Jacobelli told TF1.
Still, the RN was not particularly enthusiastic about Barnier.
“They are taking out of mothballs those who have governed France for 40 years,” Jacobelli said.
