French PM to present new government ‘before Sunday’

September 20 () –

French Prime Minister Michel Barnier will present the country’s new government “before Sunday,” comments that come on a day when he was expected to announce the cabinet after his meeting with President Emmanuel Macron, to whom he has already presented a list of ministers.

“It will be presented before Sunday, subject to the usual ethical controls,” the Prime Minister’s Office said, according to the French daily Le Figaro.

During their meeting at the Elysée Palace, Barnier gave Macron the names of 38 ministers, of which 16 will be ministers. Some of the most important ministries will be held by politicians close to Macron, despite having been the third most voted option in the last legislative elections.

He also told him that this new cabinet is “ready to act in the service of the French people” and focused on “improving the standard of living of the French people and the functioning of public services”, according to the French Presidency.

Although there has not yet been any official confirmation, the French press has already revealed the possible composition of the Executive, after which some figures on the left, such as the national coordinator of La France Insoumise (LFI) in the National Assembly, Manuel Bompard, have criticised the presence of conservative politicians in the Government.

“It is all those defeated in the last elections who will form the government,” Bompard said in a post on his social networks, in which he took the opportunity to reiterate the call to the population to attend the demonstration planned for this Saturday against President Macron.

Aside from the names of the new ministers, the tension has also become palpable in political matters, as criticism has focused on the figure of an already worn-out Barnier due to the frontal rejection of the left, winner of the last parliamentary elections in July.

The situation is such that the left has used its majority in the National Assembly to take the first step towards debating a motion of censure against Macron, whom they criticise for not having appointed a prime minister from the left bloc despite having emerged as the most voted option among the French.