French President Emmanuel Macron assigned Michel Barnier, the former European Union negotiator in the Brexit file, to form the new government, two months after organizing legislative elections in the country.
French politicians and media outlets had expected, over the past few days, an imminent announcement of a new candidate for Prime Minister to succeed Gabriel Attal after the elections produced a complex political reality represented by the failure of the main parties on the political scene to obtain an explicit majority in Parliament.
Two figures were circulated as the most prominent options for this position, namely former Socialist Prime Minister Bernard Cazeneuve and the leader of the right-wing Republicans party Xavier Bertrand, but parliament’s calculations did not work in their favor, until the announcement of Barnier, 73 years old, came, which surprised many.
It is noteworthy that the constitution in France gives the President of the Republic the right to choose a prime minister, who can then be
confirmed by parliament.
Source: National Iraqi News Agency