MoDem party

President Emmanuel Macron and new Prime Minister Francois Bayrou kept the country waiting Sunday over the composition of the fourth government in a year that must drag France out of political crisis.

France’s new Prime Minister is what in Greece we call an “old hand” in politics. Having served in various ministries and under different governments, François Bayrou has played an important role in policy-making from both the right and the centre.

French President Emmanuel Macron (R) poses with French President of the Modem party Francois Bayrou and mayor of Pau Francois Bayrou (L) on the balcony of the city hall during a visit in Pau, southwestern France, on July 6, 2023

In the search for a prime minister in France, Emanuel Macron following the result of the vote in the National Assembly that led to the fall of Michel Barnier’s government. The result marks the first time a French government has lost a confidence vote since 1962. The French president will deliver a speech tonight at 21:00 (local time).

The French president, Emmanuel Macron, has named a group of relative unknowns to senior government cabinet posts over traditional allies after a series of high-profile resignations.

As a spokesman announced the names of ministers appointed, political analysts said many voters would be left asking: “Who?”

President Emmanuel Macron's allies from the under-fire MoDem party quit the government, complicating what had been billed as a routine ministerial reshuffle days after his party emphatically won parliamentary elections.

France's justice minister Francois Bayrou, a key ally of President Emmanuel Macron, told AFP Wednesday he was quitting the government, as his party battles a funding scandal.

French Defense Minister Sylvie Goulard announced her resignation yesterday over a fake jobs scandal that has hit her small centrist MoDem party, allied with President Emmanuel Macron's party.