PARIS — French President Emmanuel Macron has picked François Bayrou to be France’s prime minister, the Elysée said in a statement. Bayrou will replace Michel Barnier, whose government was toppled last week after trying to pass a slimmed-down social security budget to rein in France’s massive deficit. Macron had told lawmakers in a meeting on Tuesday … Read more
In a bid to ensure the next head of government lasts longer than Barnier, Macron has tried to seek a compromise with opposition forces in France’s fractured legislature. The leading candidates mentioned in French media both come from Macron’s camp — former Industry Minister Roland Lescure and centrist grandee François Bayrou. It isn’t clear, however, … Read more
PARIS — Marine Le Pen has always walked a tightrope between being the outsider, intent on taking a wrecking ball to the French establishment, and cultivating a more mainstream image to win sufficiently broad support in the hope of one day becoming president. The political crisis that has gripped France has brought that stark choice … Read more
Macron is expected to name a new premier by the end of the day Thursday to replace Barnier. Several names have been floated in the French press, but the leading rumor suggests he may appoint one of his earliest supporters, centrist François Bayrou. However, representatives from different left-wing parties have already made clear that they … Read more
The far right took a different approach. National Rally leader Jordan Bardella accused Macron of ignoring the millions of people who voted for his party by excluding it from the meeting. Retaining control With some of the most radical forces removed from the negotiation table, Macron’s hopes lie in convincing the remaining parties to refrain … Read more
PARIS — French President Emmanuel Macron achieved a diplomatic milestone Saturday, hosting the first in-person meeting between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and United States President-elect Donald Trump since he won the election this past November. Both Zelenskyy and Trump, in Paris alongside dozens of global leaders and luminaries for the reopening of the Notre Dame … Read more
So much has changed since Trump first took office in January 2017 and Macron ascended four months later. Russia is fighting a war in Europe; Israel is engaged in bloody conflict with militant groups on its doorstep; the U.K. has left the EU; and France’s political system is now paralyzed, with the far right poised … Read more
The Notre Dame Cathedral has been closed to the public since a massive fire broke out in April 2019. Dozens of global leaders and high-ranking officials, including current First Lady Jill Biden and German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, will also be in attendance. President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen was also initially slated … Read more
Barnier’s government, which lasted just under three months, collapsed following the conservative grandee’s attempt to push through an austere budget meant to reassure investors and bring down France’s ballooning deficit. The political chaos, and the dim prospects of an immediate resolution, has led a growing number of lawmakers to demand the resignation of the French … Read more
For the French, von der Leyen’s Montevideo trip is anathema. Hatred of the Mercosur deal with Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, Paraguay and Bolivia permeates the whole political class. The French fear the accord will undermine their farmers with a tide of cheap poultry and beef from Latin America — and will whip up popular rage against … Read more
