French New Government Cabinet Finalized... Opposition Party Protests Again

Yonhap News

On the 23rd (local time), France finalized the cabinet formation of the Fran?ois Bayrou government. The opposition left-wing camp has reacted, claiming that the government’s right-wing color has deepened.

President Emmanuel Macron approved the cabinet list submitted by Prime Minister Bayrou, the ?lys?e Palace announced. The Bayrou cabinet, composed of 34 members, is mostly made up of figures from Macron’s broad ruling coalition and the right-wing Republicans party.

This new cabinet was formed after the previous Michel Barnier government was dissolved following a no-confidence vote by the opposition in the National Assembly on the 4th of this month, amid conflicts over the next year’s budget. Prime Minister Barnier, who was dismissed by the National Assembly just 90 days after taking office, set a record as the shortest-serving prime minister in the history of the French Fifth Republic.

In the Bayrou government, some personnel who served as ministers in the Barnier government retained their positions. Interior Minister Bruno Le Maire, Defense Minister S?bastien Lecornu, Foreign Minister Jean-No?l Barrot, and Culture Minister Rachida Dati were reappointed. Former Prime Minister ?lisabeth Borne, who served as head of government until early January, was appointed Minister of Education, and former Interior Minister G?rald Darmanin was appointed Minister of Justice.

Antoine Armand, who attracted attention as Minister of the Economy and Finance at the age of 33 in the Barnier government, was replaced. His successor is ?ric Lombard, head of a multipurpose public financial institution. This is seen as a choice of an experienced economist to address France’s fiscal deficit problem. France’s fiscal deficit this year is 6.1% of its gross domestic product (GDP), which is more than double the deficit level (3.0%) allowed under European Union (EU) fiscal rules.

Laurent Saint-Martin, the budget minister who worked alongside former Minister Armand to prepare the 2025 budget, will move to the position of Minister for Foreign Trade under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Am?lie de Montchalin, former Minister of Ecological Transition, was appointed as his successor.

The first cabinet meeting of the Bayrou government will be held on January 3 next year. With the cabinet formation complete, it is expected that they will immediately begin preparing the next year’s budget. President Macron issued a special law to manage revenues and expenditures based on this year’s budget after the Barnier government collapsed without the next year’s budget being passed. After announcing the cabinet list, Prime Minister Bayrou said on X (formerly Twitter), “I am very proud” and described the team as “experienced and capable of reconciling with all French citizens and restoring trust.”

However, foreign media expressed concerns that if the parliament convenes on the 14th of next month, the Bayrou government will continue to face the threat of a no-confidence vote. The opposition left-wing camp, in particular, strongly criticized the government, saying its right-wing color has deepened. Olivier Faure, leader of the Socialist Party, criticized on X, “This is not a government but a provocation,” calling it “the far right in power under the surveillance of the far right.”

Locally, it is seen as inevitable that President Macron will dissolve the parliament to avoid division after the recent early general election failed to give any party a majority in the assembly. However, according to the French constitution, the parliament can only be dissolved once a year. Since President Macron dissolved the parliament in June, it will not be possible to dissolve it again until at least July next year, and until then, major reforms are expected to be difficult due to parliamentary division, which is the current consensus.