President Macron starts the meetings for the appointment of the new prime minister

2024-12-05 16:15:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

President Macron starts the meetings for the appointment of the new prime

French President Emmanuel Macron held meetings with allies and politicians on Thursday to name a new prime minister, a day after far-right and far-left lawmakers ousted Prime Minister Michel Barnier's government.

The newspaper "Le Parisien" and other media announced a lunch between President Macron and Francois Bayrou, whose name has been mentioned in the press as a possible successor to Mr. Barnier. Mr. Bayrou is a centrist politician and a close ally of President Macron.

Outgoing Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu has also been mentioned as a possible candidate for prime minister. So far there has been no announcement of a meeting between him and President Macron.

Three sources told Reuters that President Macron intends to appoint a new prime minister shortly. One of the sources said he plans to name the new prime minister before the ceremony to reopen Notre-Dame Cathedral on Saturday. United States President-elect Donald Trump is expected to attend that ceremony.

President Macron is expected to address the nation today, while he will also meet with the leader of the Senate.

Mr Barnier, a conservative who was appointed prime minister about 3 months ago, will become the shortest-lived prime minister in modern American history when President Macron accepts his resignation.

They met for more than an hour on Thursday morning, French media reported. Prime Minister Barnier was expected to hand in his resignation during the meeting, but there was no official confirmation after he left the presidential palace.

On Wednesday, opposition lawmakers ousted France's government, deepening the political crisis in the European Union's second-largest economy.

Far-right and far-left lawmakers joined in support of a no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Michel Barnier and his government. The majority of legislators, with 331 votes, supported the motion.

The political turmoil in France will further weaken the European Union, which is also facing the dissolution of the governing coalition in Germany a few weeks before the US President-elect Donald Trump returns to the White House./ VOA