France’s new prime minister faces a looming mess
François Bayrou has an emergency budget but no government yet
France stumbled into the holiday season with its fourth prime minister this year, no new government and only an emergency rollover budget to get it through the first months of 2025. François Bayrou is a wily veteran, a 73-year-old fellow centrist whom President Emmanuel Macron appointed to form a government on December 13th. He hopes to broaden the coalition formed by Michel Barnier, his conservative predecessor, who was toppled by parliament on December 4th. Even if Mr Bayrou manages to recruit more widely, however, he will struggle to put in place what France really needs: a stable, lasting government that can begin to get its dismal public finances under control.
Explore more
This article appeared in the Europe section of the print edition under the headline “Bayrou’s turn”
From the December 21st 2024 edition
Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents
Explore the editionMore from Europe
Can the good ship Europe weather the Trumpnado?
Tossed by political storms, the continent must dodge a new threat
Spain’s proposed house tax on foreigners will not fix its shortage
Pedro Sánchez will need the opposition’s help to increase supply
A French-sponsored Ukrainian army brigade has been badly botched
The scandal reveals serious weaknesses in Ukraine’s military command
A TV dramatisation of Mussolini’s life inflames Italy
With Giorgia Meloni in power, the fascist past is more relevant than ever
France’s new prime minister is trying to court the left
François Bayrou gambles with Emmanuel Macron’s economic legacy
How the AfD got its swagger back
Germany’s hard-right party is gaining support even as it radicalises