The long political career of France's new prime minister, Michel Barnier

NEWS WIRES

5 September 2024 at 8:19 am·1-min read

Formerly a foreign minister and the EU's Brexit negotiator, Michel Barnier has had a long political career under a series of centre-right governments starting in the mid-1990s under late president Jacques Chirac. When considering a presidential run in 2022, Barnier surprised some of his EU admirers by tacking to the right, calling for an "electric shock" on security, a moratorium on immigration and the reintroduction of military service.

Veteran French politician Michel Barnier has held a collection of top jobs as minister, European Union commissioner and negotiator on Brexit during a half-century political career that has seen him tack further to the right in recent years.

His appointment as prime minister comes after two months of political deadlock in France, with sources close to President Emmanuel Macron saying his profile finally fits the bill of the figure required for the job.

The looming challenges will be immense, not least the likelihood that Barnier will face a no-confidence motion in parliament put forward by left-wing opponents.

Barnier, 73, who hails from the Haute Savoie region of the Alps, first become a French member of parliament aged just 27 in the 1970s and first entered government in the mid-1990s under late president Jacques Chirac.

Far-right lawmaker Jean-Philippe Tanguy was less complimentary, describing him as "fossilised from political life".

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