François Bayrou's political experience is seen as crucial in efforts to restore stability in the country, as no single party has a majority in the National Assembly. Bayrou will hold talks with leaders of various parties in the coming days to select new ministers.
French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday named Francois Bayrou as prime minister, becoming France's second prime minister in three months. France's right-wing and left-wing lawmakers voted together last week on a historic no-confidence motion that forced Prime Minister Michel Barnier and members of his cabinet to resign. Bayrou, 73, a key partner in Macron's centrist coalition, has been an important figure in French politics for decades.
His political experience is considered important in efforts to restore stability in the country, as no single party has a majority in the National Assembly. Macron last week vowed to remain in office until the end of his term (2027). Macron's office said in a statement that Bayrou has been 'entrusted with forming a new government.'
The opposition will be needed
Bayrou is expected to hold talks with leaders of various parties in the coming days to select new ministers. This task appears challenging, as Macron's centrist coalition does not have a majority in Parliament and Bayrou's cabinet will have to rely on moderate MPs from both the left and right wing to remain in power.
Know who is François Bayrou
From 1993 to 1997, Bayrou was Minister of National Education in three successive governments. He was also a member of the National Assembly for a seat in Pyrénées-Atlantiques from 1986 to 2012 with brief interruptions and a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) from 1999 to 2002. He has been mayor of Pau since 2014.
Bayrou was born on 25 May 1951 in Bordères, Pyrénées-Atlantiques, a village located between Pau and Lourdes. He is the son of farmer Calixte Bayrou (1909–1974), MRP mayor of Bordères from 1947 to 1953, and Emma Sarthou (1918–2009).[2][3][4] Bayrou descends from an ancestry of primarily Occitans except from his maternal grandmother's side which is Irish.[5]
When Bayrou was in his youth, he developed a stutter which led to him attending speech therapy for seven years.[6] He first went to secondary school in Pau, before transferring to Bordeaux. He studied literature at university, and at the age of 23, sat the "agrégation", the highest qualifying level for teachers in senior high schools and universities in France. Around the same time, his father was killed in a tractor accident.