French President Emmanuel Macron has appointed Francois Bayrou, a centrist ally, as the new prime minister after weeks of political gridlock. Bayrou, 73, is a prominent figure from the center-right Democratic Movement (MoDem) party. He will replace Michel Barnier, who resigned last week after losing a confidence vote in the National Assembly. Barnier’s resignation followed a vote where 331 members from both the left and right voted to remove him.

The fall of Barnier's government, which took office after snap elections in June and July, has left France in political chaos. This has prompted opposition leaders to call for Macron’s resignation, as many people in France have been critical of his policies for years. Despite the growing discontent, Macron has stated that he will remain president until his mandate ends in 2027. The big question now is whether his new pick, Bayrou, will be able to stabilize the government and lead effectively.

Who is Francois Bayrou?

Francois Bayrou, often referred to as the “third man” in French politics, earned this nickname during the 2007 presidential election. At that time, he positioned himself as a middle ground between the political right and left. He is presently the High-Commissioner for planning related to environmental,social  and technological issues in France. He also serves as the mayor of Pau, a town in southwestern France, and leads both the European Democratic Party and MoDem.

Born into a wealthy farming family in the scenic town of Borderes, located near the Pyrenees, Bayrou has been passionate about politics since his youth. Before entering politics, he worked as a Latin and Greek teacher in Bearn. His political career began in the 1980s, and by 1986, he was elected to the National Assembly. He also served as a member of the European Parliament from 1999 to 2002. In 1993, he became the education minister under Prime Ministers Edouard Balladur and Alain Juppe.

Bayrou's political ambitions peaked in the 2007 presidential election when he ran as the candidate of the Union for French Democracy (a center-right party later merged into MoDem). Though he finished third, failing to make it to the run-off, his campaign earned him recognition as a key political figure. He ran again in 2012 but ultimately chose to support Macron in 2017, a surprising move that shocked many.

In 2017, Bayrou joined Macron’s cabinet as the Minister of Justice. However, his time in office was short-lived due to a scandal involving allegations of misusing European Parliament funds. Bayrou resigned after just a month, though he was later acquitted of all charges in February this year.

Reactions to Bayrou’s Appointment

Following the announcement of Bayrou’s appointment, former Prime Minister Gabriel Attal, a close ally of Macron, expressed support for the decision. Attal emphasized that members of Macron’s Renaissance party would back the new prime minister.

Despite this, Bayrou’s appointment has not been welcomed by everyone. Macron held discussions with leaders from both left-wing and right-wing parties before making his choice, but the opposition remains critical. Leaders from the left-wing New Popular Front, which won the most votes in the July elections, have been vocal in their opposition to Macron's centrist policies. They argue that Macron should have considered the election results and appointed a prime minister from their coalition. Mathilde Panot from the hard-left France Unbowed party stated on X that they would launch a no-confidence vote against Bayrou.

As the political landscape continues to shift, all eyes are on whether Bayrou can unite France and bring stability to Macron's government in these challenging times.