Macron has appointed a new Prime Minister: here's what you need to know about him.

The President of France, Emmanuel Macron, after the resignation of the government, appointed a new Prime Minister for the country. François Bayrou, the leader of the Democratic Movement (MoDem) party, has taken on this role. The French President has tasked the new Prime Minister with forming a government.

This was reported by the Élysée Palace. The announcement was made on December 13 on social media platform X.

"The President of the Republic has appointed Mr. François Bayrou as Prime Minister and entrusted him with the task of forming a government," the Élysée Palace stated.

What is known about Bayrou

This year, Bayrou has become the fourth Prime Minister of France amid a political crisis in the country. He is 73 years old. He leads the centrist MoDem party and is a political figure from southwestern France, who refers to himself as a "man from the village". A former Minister of Education and the mayor of the southwestern city of Pau, he has been an ally and close confidant of Emmanuel Macron since the latter came to power in 2017.

That same year, he was appointed Minister of Justice. However, he held that position for a short time. Less than a month later, an official investigation was launched against him over allegations of misusing European Parliament funds. Ultimately, Bayrou was acquitted, although the prosecution appealed this decision.

The Barnier government was dismissed in December 2024, merely three months after its formation. The French parliament issued a vote of no confidence against the Prime Minister's government. This marked the first time in over 60 years that such an event occurred.

The reason for the vote was the government's attempt to use special constitutional powers to push through part of an unpopular budget without a final vote in parliament. The budget included savings of 60 billion euros aimed at reducing the state deficit, which sparked significant discontent among lawmakers. With a new Prime Minister, Macron hopes for a longer tenure.

"However, it is unclear how the 73-year-old Bayrou will avoid the same fate as his predecessor, as France's legislative power remains fragmented among three roughly equal blocs — left, center-right, and far-right — which show little inclination to work together," Politico comments.

Media previously reported that Macron had several candidates for the position of Prime Minister. These included the current Minister of Defense Sébastien Lecornu, MoDem leader François Bayrou, and left-wing politician and former Prime Minister Bernard Cazeneuve.

It is worth noting that amid the political crisis, Macron himself stated that he would remain president until the last second and has no intention of resigning. There were also reports about what was discussed during the meeting in France between Trump, Macron, and Zelensky.