French President Emmanuel Macron appointed centrist politician François Bayrou as prime minister on Friday, the Élysée Palace said, just over a week after the fall of the previous government.
Last Wednesday, the opposition toppled conservative former Prime Minister Michel Barnier in a dispute over an austerity budget after he had been in office for just three months.
France has been at a political stalemate since the June and July elections failed to produce clear results. At the same time, the country faces a critical economic situation, amid soaring national debt and a large budget deficit.
Opposition parties have demanded Macron’s resignation amid the political and economic crisis, while a 2025 budget has still not been approved just weeks before the new year. Macron has refused to resign.
