The composition of the government of François Bayroupunctually as scheduled, was unveiled at 6.30 pm by the Secretary General of the Elysée. Alexis Kohler announced the list of ministers appointed by the President of the Republic on the proposal of the Prime Minister. The first Council of Ministers of the new era will be held on January 3rd. The prime minister, however, will comment on the composition of the new government on BFMTV all 20:30.
The confirmations
The current vice-president of the MoDem was appointed Minister of Relations with Parliament Patrick Mignola he finally sees his long loyalty to the Prime Minister rewarded, in a strategic position in the absence of a majority in the Assembly. Among those confirmed in government: Bruno RetailleauMinister of the Interior; Jean-Noel BarrotMinister of Europe and Foreign Affairs; François-Noël Buffet, Minister responsible for the Overseas Territories; Sébastien LecornuMinister of the Armed Forces; Rachida DataMinister of Culture; Geneviève Darrieussecq, Minister of Health and Access to Care; Annie Genevard, Minister of Agriculture and Food Sovereignty; Laurent Saint-Martin, minister responsible for the budget and public accounts; Agnès Pannier-Runacher, Minister of Ecological Transition; Catherine Vautrin, Minister of Labour.
New entries and excellent appointments
There are new entries instead Gerald DarmaninMinister of Justice; Manuel Valls, Minister of Overseas Territories; François Rebsamen, Minister of Regional Planning; Eric Lombarddirector of the Caisse des Dépôts appointed Minister of Economy: he will be supported by macro-journalist Amélie de Montchalin, responsible for public accounts, at a time when France is facing one of the worst budget crisis of its recent history.
Elisabeth BorneMinister of National Education, Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Digital. The former prime minister, who is not a specialist in education issues, has recently become close to Bayrou, with whom she shares a number of opinions. He becomes the fifth education minister of the year, after Gabriel Attal, Amélie Oudéa-Castéra, Nicole Belloubet and Anne Genetet, and the sixth since 2022 and the start of Emmanuel Macron's second five-year term. Borne sees his portfolio expanded to include higher education and research, for the first time since 2017. The Minister of State becomes number 2 in the cabinet.
The reactions of the socialists and the Rn
The French Prime Minister announced in a letter to the ministers of the outgoing government that he had “tried to find new balances“, and of having wanted a government “more compact” of the previous one. “This government will not be able to reproduce the previous one. I tried to find a new balance”, he wrote, making it clear that many of them would not be able to be part of the new team. “It's not a government, it's a provocation. The far right in power under the surveillance of the far right“, so the socialist secretary, Olivier Faurecommented on the composition of the new government. The president of Rn, Jordan Bardellaaccused Bayrou of having “reunited the coalition of failure”.
The return of Valls, the exclusion of Bertrand
In the new government there are several returns, like the former prime ministers Manuel Vallswho returns with the role of Minister for Overseas. Valls' appointment to Overseas comes at a time when one of France's overseas territories, Mayotte, has been hit by the tragedy caused by the passage of the Cyclone Chido. And today France celebrated a day of national mourning for the victims. Valls led the government between 2014 and 2016, under the presidency of François Hollande, having previously been Interior Minister. Borne was prime minister from 2022 to January 2024, under the presidency of the current occupant of the Elysée Emmanuel Macron.
Absent excellent Xavier Bertrandwhose name was circulating for the Ministry of Justice announced that he refuses to participate in a government “formed with the endorsement of Marine Le Pen“. “The Prime Minister informed me this morning, contrary to what he had proposed to me yesterday, that he was no longer able to entrust me with the responsibility of the Ministry of Justice due to the opposition of the Rassemblement National“said Xavier Bertrand.
“Despite his new proposals, I refuse to participate in a French government formed with the support of Marine Le Pen. Accepting under these conditions would have been a denial of my values, my commitment and my battles“he added.
