He had promised it “before Christmas”, he finalized it on Monday December 23. Prime Minister François Bayrou is now at the head of the fourth French government of 2024. “Another one”, quips ironically the American media Politico. Yesterday, late in the afternoon, the Secretary General of the Elysée, Alexis Kohler, announced the names of those who will lead the country from today. Names far from unknown in the political sphere. At least, for 11 of the 14 full-time ministers.
As expected in recent days, the former tenant of Place Beauvau Gérald Darmanin was appointed Keeper of the Seals and the former Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne took over as head of Education. Others have been reappointed: Bruno Retailleau, described as “darling of the right and bogeyman of the left” by Politico, remains at the Ministry of the Interior, as does Jean-Noël Barrot at Foreign Affairs, Rachida Dati at the Culture, Sébastien Lecornu to the Armed Forces, or even Agnès Pannier-Runacher to the Ecological Transition. For daily life The New York Timesthe maintenance of Bruno Retailleau, “a conservative who supports the repression of illegal immigration and drug trafficking” and the return of Gérald Darmanin, “a man with a firm speech”, “indicate that the new government will continue to put the “emphasis on maintaining order to get ahead of the far right on this issue.”
Manuel Valls, former Prime Minister under François Hollande, made his comeback in politics by being appointed Minister of Overseas Territories. François Rebsamen, one of his former ministers, inherits Territorial Planning and Decentralization. A government exclusively made up of “recycling” according to the head of environmentalists Marine Tondelier. And it is not the foreign press that will say the opposite. For the German daily newspaper South German Zeitung, François Bayrou’s team is nothing other than “a sort of Barnier II […] less solid and less stable”. And to continue: “We were waiting […] that he broadens the base of his government. […] But this one looks so much like the old one that the French must wonder what it all means.”
The failure of a mission
However, the German newspaper reminds us, “throughout his career, François Bayrou dreamed of being a great mediator and a unifier.” The opportunity had finally presented itself to him. But given the composition of his government, the South German Zeitung is categorical: the Prime Minister has “failed” to “keep this promise of several decades”. “He had promised a government of national interest covering the entire political spectrum, but he ended up leaning towards the conservative right,” summarizes The Guardian.
All that remains now is to deal with the criticisms of opponents. Since today, this new government will have to achieve what Politico deems “impossible”: “bring together a deeply divided Parliament and stay in power long enough to introduce significant changes.” Among other things, one of the government’s first tasks will be to develop the 2025 bill and reduce France’s budget deficit, which is expected to exceed 6% of gross domestic product (GDP) by the end of the year. year, much more than the 3% of GDP required of Member States by the European Union. France therefore has “a long and thorny road ahead to straighten out its accounts”, notes daily life El País.
“The arrival of traitors for the left”
Especially since the left risks putting obstacles in the way of the new government. “Many members of the left said they felt betrayed and angry when Macron chose the conservative Barnier and his short-lived cabinet which tilted the country to the right. This anger is likely to persist,” analyzes the New York Times by referring to the political continuity of François Bayrou’s team.
For the Belgian daily The Freethis would be entirely justified. “The four left-wing parties have no reason to be satisfied with the casting. […] The arrival of Manuel Valls and François Rebsamen, traitors to the left, must even be considered an affront,” he writes. Formerly members of the Socialist Party, the politicians had respectively joined Emmanuel Macron’s camp in 2017 and 2022. The icing on the cake for the left: the confirmation of the controversial Minister of the Interior, Bruno Retailleau. South German Zeitung perceived as “a declaration of war”.
A question therefore remains unanswered: what will be the lifespan of this new executive? “France has a new government, but for how long?” asks the Dutch-speaking Belgian newspaper From Standard. For everyday Time“François Bayrou will have to deploy enough listening, diplomacy and dialogue to hold out at least until July, the date on which the President of the Republic will find the weapon of dissolving the Assembly again.” But one thing is certain The New York Times : “Even if François Bayrou manages to find a compromise on spending, it will do little to save the president’s faltering reputation.”