France’s new Prime Minister, François Bayrou, recently appointed to the position, will hold meetings with parliamentary faction leaders on December 16 and 17.
The first meeting on his agenda will be with Marine Le Pen, the leader of the right-wing party National Rally. The meetings with parliamentary leaders will proceed in descending order of faction size in the National Assembly. Marine Le Pen’s party secured the largest number of seats in the snap elections of June 2024 but failed to form an outright majority.
The new Prime Minister faces a significant challenge: passing the 2025 budget while addressing the growing deficit. Like his predecessor, Michel Barnier, Bayrou lacks a parliamentary majority and will rely on votes from the National Rally.
The 73-year-old Bayrou replaced Barnier after his minority government was ousted—a rare occurrence since 1962—after only 91 days in office.
