The new French Prime Minister François Bayrou said on Thursday he would like to present the new government during “the weekend”, “in any case before Christmas”, i.e. at the latest on Tuesday evening, with the adoption of a budget “in the middle of -FEBRUARY “.
Appointed on December 13, the prime minister must quickly present a government to provide the country with a budget, interrupted by the censorship of his predecessor on December 5, but the difficulty lies in getting it through a fractured National Assembly.
François Bayrou added that he hopes for the adoption of a budget in mid-February
.
I hope we can have it in mid-February. I’m not sure I can do it
declared the Prime Minister, who specified that he would start again from the copy that was voted on
in Parliament before the censorship of the government of his predecessor Michel Barnier.
Nearly a week after his appointment, the new French Prime Minister François Bayrou on Thursday invited political forces, with the exception of the radical left and the far right, and offered them to join his government, saying he ready to to resume
pension reform, but without suspending it.
I will not use 49.3, unless there is a blockage
François Bayrou, without a majority in the National Assembly, affirmed Thursday evening on France 2 that he will not use article 49.3 of the Constitution, except in the event of absolute blockage on the budget
.
I want as much dialogue as possible. And on the other texts, I will not use 49.3, unless there is a disaster
explained the Prime Minister, addressing the parties which are in opposition
but who agree to dialogue
and not to overthrow his government.
Section 49.3 is a constitutional measure that allows the government to adopt a law without the approval of MPs. This measure was often used by governments of the era of President Emmanuel Macron.
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François Bayrou thus became the sixth head of government since the first election of Emmanuel Macron, in 2017, and the fourth, in 2024. (Archive photo)
Photo : Reuters
Furthermore, Mr. Bayrou specified that he wants the resigning Minister of the Interior Bruno Retailleau to be a member of the government he intends to appoint.
I think that Mr. Retailleau has shown in recent weeks and months that he has found decisions and directions that respond to part of what public opinion is asking for.
he clarified, while the maintenance of Mr. Retailleau, considered close to the extreme right, irritates the left.
Fresh welcome
According to the Prime Minister’s office and several participants in the talks with political parties, he tried to convince the thirty or so officials seated around him with two flagship proposals.
The first: a public offer of participation
to the government, addressed to all parties present around the table.
The second: resume without suspending
the pension reform adopted in 2023, which the left and the far-right RN party want to repeal.
However, there is no guarantee that the Prime Minister’s proposals will move the lines, as the reception of this summit meeting was cool among certain guests, even if all honored their participation.
The centrist succeeded Michel Barnier, overthrown after only three months in office by a historic censorship voted by deputies from the left and the far right.
François Bayrou thus became the sixth head of government since the first election of Emmanuel Macron, in 2017, and the fourth, in 2024, an instability of the executive that France had not experienced for decades.
The Prime Minister only receives 36% satisfaction, according to an IFOP survey for Sud Radio on Thursday, compared to 52% and 53% for his predecessors Michel Barnier and Gabriel Attal when they started at Matignon.
