Michel Barnier Appointed as New Prime Minister of France by President Macron
French President Emmanuel Macron has appointed Michel Barnier, the former chief Brexit negotiator, as the new Prime Minister of France. The announcement was made by the Elysee Palace on Thursday.
Barnier’s appointment aims to bring stability to the political landscape in France. The Elysee Palace stated, “This nomination comes after an unprecedented cycle of consultations, and in view of his constitutional duty, the president made sure that the prime minister and its government will have the most stable conditions possible and be able to unite more widely.”
Michel Barnier, who led the Brexit task force since 2016, has also served four times as a cabinet minister and twice as a European commissioner. Despite his prominence in Brussels, he is less known in France. He is a conservative figure from the Les Republicains party.
Barnier’s immediate challenge is to form a government that can withstand the deeply divided French legislature. The recent snap elections resulted in a hung parliament, with the pan-left New Popular Front winning the most seats but not achieving an outright majority. President Macron rejected the alliance’s prime minister candidate, Lucie Castets, citing her lack of experience.
Barnier emerged as the frontrunner late Wednesday, just hours before his official nomination.
Doubts Revealed
Michel Barnier -: Michel Barnier is a French politician who used to help with the Brexit talks, which were about the UK leaving the European Union.
Prime Minister -: The Prime Minister is like the head helper to the President in running the country. They make sure the government works well.
President Macron -: Emmanuel Macron is the President of France. He is like the leader of the country, similar to the Prime Minister in India.
Brexit -: Brexit is when the United Kingdom decided to leave the European Union, which is a group of countries in Europe that work together.
Les Republicains -: Les Republicains is a political party in France. It’s like a team of people who have similar ideas about how to run the country.
divided legislature -: A divided legislature means that the people who make laws in the country don’t all agree, so it’s hard to make decisions.
snap elections -: Snap elections are when the government decides to have elections earlier than planned to solve a problem or make a big decision.
hung parliament -: A hung parliament is when no single party has enough seats to control the government, so they have to work together with other parties.
New Popular Front -: The New Popular Front is a group of left-leaning political parties in France that work together to win more seats in the government.
