France Appoints Fourth Government in a Year Defined by Political Turmoil

Mizy Clifton and Mathias Hammer

Dec 23, 2024, 1:33pm EST

French President Emmanuel Macron’s office announced appointments to new Prime Minister François Bayrou’s cabinet Monday, as Macron hopes to end the country’s months-long political crisis.

The new administration features several French political heavyweights, including former prime ministers Elisabeth Borne and Manuel Valls, while Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot and Defense Minister Sébastien Lecornu will remain in their respective posts.

Overall, the cabinet composition reflects a rightward shift compared to its immediate predecessor, France24 reported, although some leftist politicians, such as François Rebsamen, are included this time around. Macron’s choices seek to strike a broad coalition across the center-left and center-right, a move to counter the parliament’s far left and far right factions, which together voted to bring down the last government after just three months in the job.

Bayrou’s top priority will be to shore up enough support to pass unpopular budget measures designed to avert a looming debt crisis and bolster the eurozone’s second largest economy.