France unveils new government under PM Francois Bayrou

The office of French President Emmanuel Macron presented a new government under new Prime Minister Francois Bayrou on Monday, almost three weeks after the collapse of the previous administration.

This is France's fourth government in 2024.  

Who will be in the new administration? 

Two former prime ministers are part of the country's new administration, which mostly consists of centrist and conservative figures. 

Elisabeth Borne, 63, will serve as education minister, while Manuel Valls, 62, becomes the country's overseas territories minister. Former Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin was appointed justice minister.

Both Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu and Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot kept their jobs.

However, it remains unclear if the new government will be able to remain in office for long, with left-wing parties signalling their disappointment after talks with newly-appointed Bayrou.

"It's not a government, it's a provocation. The extreme right in power under the watchful eye of the extreme right," Socialist Party leader and member of the National Assembly Olivier Faure said in a social media post.    

France faces political crisis, flailing economy

France has been mired in a deep political crisis since President Emmanuel Macron called snap elections in June, with no party emerging with a majority.

At the same time, the country is facing a critical economic situation amid soaring national debt and a large budgetary deficit.

Far-right leader Marine Le Pen suggested Macron would eventually have to resign as a result of the political crisis in the country.

"I am preparing for an early presidential election," she told French newspaper Le Parisien last week.

ftm/wd (dpa, AFP)