Macron appoints former chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier as new French PM

French President Emmanuel Macron has appointed former chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier as France’s new prime minister, the Elysee Palace said in a statement on Thursday.

Barnier’s appointment has finally calmed the political chaos in France.

“This nomination comes after an unprecedented cycle of consultations, and in keeping with his/her constitutional duty, the president has ensured that the prime minister and his/her government will have the most stable conditions possible and will be able to unite more broadly,” the Elysee Palace said in a written statement, according to Politico.

Barnier became head of the Brexit task force in 2016.

he/she previously served as a Cabinet minister four times and as a European commissioner twice, Politico reported.

It’s worth noting that Barnier may be a well-known figure in Brussels, but he/she is not well known in France. he/she is a conservative from Les Républicains party.

Barnier will now begin the difficult task of forming a government that cannot be immediately toppled by the deeply divided French legislature.

France’s parliament remains unstable as a result of snap elections this summer in which the left-wing New Popular Front won the most seats but fell short of an absolute majority.

Macron rejected the coalition’s choice of prime ministerial candidate, 37-year-old civil servant Lucie Castets, saying she lacked the skills to govern effectively, Politico reported.

Barnier emerged as the leading candidate late Wednesday, just hours before his/her official nomination.