What's happened
After a prolonged delay, French President Emmanuel Macron has appointed Michel Barnier as Prime Minister. This decision follows a hung parliament resulting from June's snap elections, where no party secured a majority. Barnier's leadership raises concerns about reliance on the far-right National Rally for support.
Why it matters
What the papers say
According to Clea Caulcutt in Politico, Barnier's views on immigration and sovereignty align with the far-right, which could alienate left-wing voters. The New Popular Front expressed outrage, stating that Barnier's government would negate the election results that rejected the National Rally's rise. The Guardian highlights Macron's miscalculation in calling for a snap election, which has left him politically vulnerable and without a clear path forward. The editorial argues that appointing a minority left government would have been a more democratic outcome, emphasizing the need for stability in a fragmented parliament.
How we got here
Macron's snap elections in June aimed to clarify the political landscape after the National Rally's rise. However, the elections resulted in a hung parliament, with the left-wing New Popular Front emerging as the largest bloc but lacking a majority. Macron's refusal to appoint a leftist candidate has led to political instability.
More on these topics
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France, officially the French Republic, is a country consisting of metropolitan France in Western Europe and several overseas regions and territories.
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Emmanuel Jean-Michel Frédéric Macron is a French politician who has been President of France and ex officio Co-Prince of Andorra since 14 May 2017.
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Michel Bernard Barnier is a French politician serving as the European Commission's Head of Task Force for Relations with the United Kingdom since November 2019.