Political situation in France

Designated Prime Minister leaves meeting without notice

The centrist politician François Bayrou has left the presidential palace without leaving any comments to the press gathering, reports Le Figaro.

Information to the newspaper previously claimed that Bayrou would be offered the role of prime minister.

The two men are said to have spoken on the phone late on Thursday night and during Friday morning they both held a meeting over an hour and a half long in the presidential palace.

Former Prime Minister Michel Barnier was ousted after a vote of no confidence with the support of the left and far right. It is unclear whether the two political camps will accept Bayrou.

François Bayrou becomes the new French Prime Minister

The former Minister of Justice and centrist politician François Bayrou will be the new Prime Minister of France, several media write.

Bayrou founded the Democratic Movement in 2007, which is allied with Emmanuel Macron's party, and has been its party leader since then.

Former Prime Minister Michel Barnier's government fell in a vote of no confidence on December 4, following a political battle over the budget.

Analysis: Bayrou will find it difficult to even stay

France's new Prime Minister François Bayrou has been a close ally of President Emmanuel Macron for many years, and is one of the country's most experienced politicians, writes Hugh Schofield in an analysis in the BBC.

"But it is difficult to see how he will avoid the same traps that his predecessor Michel Barnier fell into."

Macron's centrists lack a majority of their own, which means the prime minister needs to balance the left and far right against each other to avoid a vote of no confidence - something Barnier managed in just three months.

Politico's Victor Goury-Laffont seems to share that analysis, writing:

"Bayrou's first challenge will be to form a government that is not immediately overthrown by the opposition."