Macron returns to political uncertainty after Mayotte, East Africa visit

RFI

22 December 2024 at 7:33 am·1-min read

French centrist politician and newly appointed Prime Minister Francois Bayrou pictured with Emmanuel Macron after a meeting in Paris.

President Emmanuel Macron returned to Paris on Sunday after a visit to cyclone-devastated Mayotte and East Africa, as France remains in political deadlock, awaiting the appointment of a new government.

France's new Prime Minister Francois Bayrou, appointed on 13 December, is racing to name a new government by Christmas, with news of his cabinet picks eagerly expected.

Meanwhile, France will observe a national day of mourning on Monday for the victims of the disaster in the Indian Ocean archipelago of Mayotte, where at least 35 people were killed – a death toll the authorities have warned could soar.

Bayrou, the 73-year-old head of the centrist MoDem group, which is allied to Macron's party, pressed ahead with consultations over the weekend.

"We are making progress," Marc Fesneau of the MoDem group said in an interview with La Tribune Dimanche economics weekly, confirming that the full makeup of the government should be presented "in one go" and "before Christmas".

Bayrou's most immediate priority is to make sure his government survives a no-confidence vote and passes a budget for next year.

He is hoping to bring in high-profile figures from the left, right and centre in a bid to protect his government from possible censure.

Earlier this month the far right and left wing joined forces to eject Bayrou's predecessor, Michel Barnier, from office, making his the shortest stint as prime minister in France's Fifth Republic, which began in 1958.

Each has served for a shorter period than the last.

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