Macron nominates Michel Barnier as Prime Minister
After months of negotiations, consultations, and political tumult, Emmanuel Macron has finally nominated former Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier as Prime Minister.
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After seven weeks of political uncertainty, President Macron has finally nominated a Prime Minister. This follows his contentious rejection of the left-bloc nominee, which strengthened his power at a cost. As the curtain rises on another government, the public asks themselves if the folly of recent times will continue.
On the 5th of September, it was announced that Michel Barnier, the EU’s Brexit negotiator, would become France’s Prime Minister. Barnier belongs to "Les Républicains", a liberal conservative party descended from the UMP, which itself descended from Charles de Gaulle’s RPR and Valéry Giscard d'Estaing’s UDF.
As highlighted in previous dispatches, it has run into a bit of a rough patch and is now one of the smallest parties in the National Assembly.
After hearing of the decision, the far-left leader, Jean-Luc Mélenchon, invoked an American tune when he declared that “Emmanuel Macron has stolen the election from the French People.”
It’s a tough defeat for them. The left bloc emerged as the biggest party on July 7th. But lacking an absolute majority, the President could and did reject their candidate. It’s no wonder they’re already backing a vote of no confidence against the new government. They’re sore.
Macron has kept his own party in power, but at a price. He has effectively granted veto power to the far-right. The centrist alliance backing Macron, bolstered by Barnier's modest group, still falls short of the 289 seats needed for an absolute majority. As the left firmly rejects this government, his only remaining ally is Marine Le Pen’s National Rally (RN).
Though a far-right minister may not feature in the new government, Le Pen now holds a strong position from which to negotiate. She has the power to shut this entire party down if she wants. But for now, she’s vibing with the snacks.
About yesterday’s decision, Le Pen tweeted that “Michel Barnier seems to meet at least the first criterion we had requested, which is someone who is respectful of the different political forces and capable of addressing the [RN]…”
Barnier is known for building consensus, a reputation he earned by successfully negotiating the Brexit agreement for 27 countries. Even Hungary's Viktor Orbán praised him as "a good negotiator, inclusive, very close to us." He relied on this reputation in his unsuccessful bid for the French presidency in 2022.
Macron is counting on Barnier’s expertise, as negotiation will be vital for the survival of this newly-born government. Moreover, Barnier poses no threat to the major political blocs on the right and left. He comes from a weakened and fading party on the centre-right.
Curiously, many in the UK still expressed their bitterness about Barnier’s role in the Brexit aftermath. After the announcement, The Telegraph ran one headline: “Bringing back Barnier is proof that Macron loathes Britain.”
During the last presidential election, Barnier likened himself to the “Joe Biden for France”-- a comparison that correctly reflects his advanced age (73), and his long-lasting presence in public service: He became the youngest MP in the National Assembly in 1978, served as a Minister four times starting in 1993, and held the role as EU Commissioner twice.
He’s a fixture in French politics who leans right. His roots trace back to De Gaulle’s political campaigns when he was just 14. His dedication to traditional French conservatism has taken various shapes in recent years. In 2022, he pushed for a pause on non-EU immigration. Shaking his pro-European stance, he declared to followers that France should break free from the reins of the European Court of Justice and adjacent Court of Human Rights.
Born in the Savoie region, he gracefully descended into politics from the peaks of the Alps. In his office at the European Commission, he keeps a cherished memento: a photograph from 1986, captured right after he led his region's successful campaign to host the 1992 Winter Olympics. It sat beside other images of him with Pope John Paul II or Nelson Mandella.
He has long subscribed to a traditional form of environmentalism among the right. "When it interested nobody, Barnier wrote books to save the planet," remarked Pierre-Jérôme Hénin, a former presidential advisor. "Many snickered: ‘Michel, it's tweet-tweet with the little birds.’"
Macron’s choice is prudent. Without a clear majority, Barnier’s ability to form a consensus will be essential. The President’s manoeuvre may have protected his centrist bloc. Yet they have tied his fate to the far-right's uncertain support. The left has already planned protests for the weekend.
Barnier’s published diary, chronicling his experience in the Brexit negotiations, ominously opens with a line from King Lear: "Beat at this gate that let thy folly in/ And thy dear judgement out,”
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Hugh Vuillier is a political and economics writer based in London. He publishes the Europe Letter.
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