The choice of government needs to be approved by President Emmanuel Macron before it becomes official.
France is on the cusp of announcing a new government following months of political wrangling and a fragmented snap legislative election that appeared to ask more questions than it answered.
Prime Minister Michel Barnier was spotted heading to the Élysée Palace on Thursday evening to present his cabinet to President Emmanuel Macron after weeks of struggling to put together a government.
The prime minister’s office confirmed that a government deal has been struck.
Barnier himself was a contentious pick for prime minister. Macron sparked ire from across the political spectrum when he appointed the former Brexit negotiator to the second-highest office in the land, owing to the splintered elections in June and July which returned a fairly even split in left-wing, centrist and far-right MPs.
The fragmented nature of parliament made it unclear as to where Barnier, himself a conservative, would get his support and who would be willing to make concessions, especially given the tough political choices that the incoming government will have to make.
Macron must now approve the cabinet before it becomes official.
Domestic French media reports that Senator Bruno Retailleau has been named interior minister, while Jean-Noel Barrot will bump up from secretary of state for European affairs to foreign minister.
Defence Minister Sébastien Lecornu will reportedly remain in his post, as Antoine Armand will move to the finance ministry.
Regardless of who makes the cut, the government’s footing will be precarious and it will have to get to work from day one: Barnier has already hinted that he would be open to raising taxes to deal with France’s ailing finances.
He said earlier in the week that the country’s budget is in a “very serious” situation.
Such tax hikes would likely prove unpopular among the centrist Macronists and those further to the right, who could join forces to push through a vote of no confidence in Barnier if he’s not careful.
