MARSEILLE, France (CN) — French President Emmanuel Macron named Michel Barnier, the European Union's Brexit negotiator, as prime minister on Thursday, ending weeks of political uncertainty but leaving legislators and voters across France still looking for answers.
Barnier is a former right-wing minister and will be the oldest prime minister in the country's modern history at 73.
"This appointment comes after an unprecedented cycle of consultations during which, in accordance with his constitutional duty, the president ensured that the prime minister and the future government would meet the conditions to be as stable as possible and give themselves the chances of uniting as broadly as possible," the Elysée said in a statement.
Barnier has held several different posts in the French government over the course of decades, including as the minister of environment, minister of state for European affairs and minister of foreign affairs. He has also held various positions at the EU level.
Barnier sought the presidential nomination from his party, the right-wing Les Républicains, during France's elections in 2022. After failing to secure it, Barnier receded from the political spotlight. The party, known as LR, rests somewhere between center and far-right on the French political spectrum.
In recent days, speculation focused on two favorites: conservative former minister Xavier Bertrand, the president of a northern French region and another member of Les Républicains; and former Socialist Prime Minister Bernard Cazeneuve, who served under President François Hollande. The right-wing mayor of the southern city of Cannes, David Lisnard, joined the short list Wednesday, according to French media.
But Macron chose a different route. Barnier will succeed Gabriel Attal, who held the position since January. Attal resigned in July but remained in a caretaker role. He is scheduled to officially pass the torch to Barnier Thursday evening.
This marked the longest period that France ever operated under a caretaker government, at over 50 days.
Macron's hesitancy to name a prime minister for nearly two months after snap elections left the country without a clear winner caused political turmoil across the spectrum.
The president stirred controversy by deciding not to name Lucie Castets, the candidate proposed by the left-wing coalition New Popular Front, known as NFP. The group won the most votes in July, but Macron claimed Parliament would not approve a leftist leader.
Left-wing politicians have already taken to social media to condemn Macron's decision, and have called for nationwide protests on Sept. 7.
Jean-Luc Mélenchon, the controversial leader of the far-left France Unbowed party, said on Twitter: "Emmanuel Macron officially denies the result of the legislative elections. He has just appointed Michel Barnier. A member of a party that came last in the legislative elections. Emmanuel Macron stole the election from the French people."
Under French law, the president has the exclusive right to appoint a prime minister, though the lower house of Parliament, the National Assembly, must vote on his nomination.
The NFP is likely to issue a no-confidence vote in the National Assembly following Thursday's announcement, which would threaten Barnier's ability to govern. However, if the center and far-right sides of the political spectrum back the decision, Barnier should have enough weight to pass.
Marine Le Pen of the far-right National Rally, or RN, seemed open to Barnier's appointment but said her party will not participate in his government, because the new prime minister “does not share our ideas.”
“Barnier is a man respectful of other political forces," Le Pen said. “It’s important because compromises will have to be reached, considering the state of France’s budget.”
When Macron called for elections on June 9, the night of the European Elections, the RN — led by Le Pen and her protégé Jordan Bardella — was gaining momentum. The RN won more seats in the EU Parliament than ever before and was leading significantly in French polls.
The general consensus was that the RN would win — the question was by how much.
But in the weeks preceding the election, four left-wing parties — the Communists, Socialists, Greens and France Unbowed — united to form the NFP coalition, campaigning under the common goal of keeping the far right out of power.
The effort paid off on July 7. In a surprising turn, the New Popular Front won the most seats in France’s lower house, taking 182 out of 577. Macron’s centrist coalition came in second with 168, and the RN took third at 143.
No party had a clear majority, but for the NFP, the message was clear: The group won the most seats, so it would be able to put forward a prime minister. They nominated Castets for the role. It soon became clear that Macron had other plans, saying that a left-wing government would threaten “institutional stability.”
Macron put off naming a prime minister during the Paris Olympics and only started talks to form a government more than six weeks after the election. Two rounds of talks left all sides questioning the president's tactics.
Barnier's appointment risks prolonging the political turmoil in France, as left-wing politicians and voters gear up for Saturday's protests.
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