On Monday, France’s new Prime Minister François Bayrou begins a series of consultations with representatives from the country’s key political parties to form a new government.
The first to meet with Bayrou at 9 a.m. was Jordan Bardella, leader of the “National Rally” party, accompanied by Marine Le Pen. On Sunday, Le Pen stated that the deputies of her party would not criticize the new government without prior discussions.
Next, Bayrou will meet with Gabriel Attal, leader of the president’s party “Renaissance,” and a longtime supporter of Emmanuel Macron. Afterward, he will hold talks with Olivier Faure, the First Secretary of the Socialist Party, as well as with Boris Vallaud and Patrick Kanner, leaders of the Socialist factions in the National Assembly and the Senate, respectively.
The “Republicans” parliamentary group will be represented by its leader Laurent Wauquiez, who has already indicated that his party’s support will depend on the proposals Bayrou presents.
Representatives from the far-left party “France Unbowed” declined the invitation. The party’s founder, Jean-Luc Mélenchon, described the negotiations as “just another farce.”
On Tuesday, consultations will continue with the participation of environmentalists, deputies from the MoDem party, “Horizons,” LIOT, communists, and the UDR group led by former “Republicans” leader Eric Ciotti.
The main topic of discussion is likely to be the 2025 budget — a highly sensitive issue that led to the downfall of Michel Barnier’s government. His cabinet used Article 49.3 of the Constitution to pass the controversial budget without a vote, which provoked criticism from both far-right and left-wing parties. The alliance between these two seemingly opposing political forces led to a historic vote of no confidence on December 4.
