Francois Bayrou will face a fractured and fractious parliament where one of his earliest tasks will be to pass a budget for 2025.

President Emmanuel Macron on Friday tapped François Bayrou, a veteran centrist politician and one of his top allies, as the new prime minister, a move that few expect would stabilize France’s roiling politics.

A FTER OVER a week of trying to square the French political circle, President Emmanuel Macron on December 13th named one of his own as the country’s next prime minister: François Bayrou (pictured). A 73-year-old three-time presidential candidate whose party belongs to Mr Macron’s centrist alliance,