France awaits appointment of new government
President Emmanuel Macron returned to Paris on Sunday after a visit to cyclone-devastated Mayotte and East Africa, as a France racked by political deadlock awaited the appointment of a new government. France's new Prime Minister Francois Bayrou, appointed on December 13, is racing to name a new government by Christmas, with news of his cabinet picks expected as early as Sunday.
Meanwhile, France will observe a national day of mourning on Monday for the victims of the disaster in the Indian Ocean archipelago of Mayotte, where at least 35 people were killed -- a death toll the authorities have warned could soar. Bayrou, the 73-year-old head of the centrist MoDem group, which is allied to Macron's party, pressed ahead with consultations over the weekend.
"We are making progress," Marc Fesneau of the MoDem group said in an interview with La Tribune Dimanche, confirming that the full makeup of the government should be presented "in one go" and "before Christmas". Bayrou's most immediate priority is to make sure his government survives a no-confidence vote and passes a budget for next year.
He is hoping to bring in high-profile figures from the left, right and centre in a bid to protect his government from possible censure. Earlier this month the far right and left wing joined forces to eject Bayrou's predecessor, Michel Barnier, from office, making his the shortest stint as prime minister in France's Fifth Republic, which began in 1958.
France has been mired in deadlock since Macron gambled on snap elections this summer in the hopes of bolstering his authority. The move backfired, with voters returning a parliament fractured between three rival blocs. Many commentators are already predicting Bayrou's premiership will be short-lived.
Bayrou is the sixth prime minister of Macron's mandate, and the fourth of 2024. Each has served for a shorter period than the last. - Historically low rating - Bayrou has endured a tumultuous first week as premier, not least after facing a barrage of criticism for attending a town hall meeting in the Pyrenees city of Pau, of which he remains mayor, while Mayotte was grappling with the catastrophic aftermath of Cyclone Chido.
Even before Bayrou has properly started his job, a new poll carried out by Ifop for the French weekly Journal du Dimanche found 66 percent of respondents were unhappy with his performance. Only 34 percent said they were satisfied or very satisfied with their new head of government. Going back decades to 1959, Ifop said it had not seen such a low rating for a prime minister getting started in the job.
Bayrou has warned of the peril ahead if his government falls. "If we fail in this attempt, then this is the last stop before the cliff," he said. Barnier was brought down over his failure to win support for a budget to shore up France's shaky finances with spending cuts and tax rises to reduce the deficit.
Hard-left firebrand Jean-Luc Melenchon of the France Unbowed party (LFI) has vowed to table a motion of no confidence when Bayrou gives a policy speech to parliament on January 14. Earlier this week Socialist Party leader Olivier Faure said he was disappointed by his meeting with Bayrou, adding he was "appalled at the poverty" of what had been proposed.
