President Emmanuel Macron appointed former Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier as France's new prime minister on Thursday (5/9) after France was under a caretaker government for more than 50 days.
The appointment of the 73-year-old Barnier follows weeks of intensive efforts by Macron and his aides to find a candidate capable of uniting his parliamentary factions and fending off attempts by Macron's opponents to topple the new government.
A statement from Macron's office announced that Barnier was tasked with “forming a unity government to serve the French nation and people.”
“This appointment comes after an extraordinary round of consultations in which, in accordance with his constitutional duty, the President ensured that the incoming Prime Minister and government would meet the conditions for as much stability and unity as possible,” the statement said. (jm/ab)
