Refer Report
Former Minister Michel Barnier, who was appointed as the new Prime Minister of France on the 5th (local time). EPA Yonhap News.
French President Emmanuel Macron appointed former minister Michel Barnier as the new prime minister on the 5th (local time), about two months after the early general election.
The Elysee Palace announced that President Macron had appointed former Minister Michel Barnier (73), a member of the right-wing Republican Party, as Prime Minister. The Elysee Palace said that Barnier had been “entrusted with the task of forming a unity government for the sake of the country and the French people.”
Former Minister Barnier served as Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries under the Chirac and Sarkozy governments, respectively. He was also active as a negotiator when the European Union (EU) discussed Brexit. Former Minister Barnier, who succeeds Prime Minister Gabriel Attal, will become the oldest prime minister in modern French political history.
On this day, President Macron appointed former Minister Barnier as Prime Minister, ending the interim government that had lasted for nearly two months. However, due to opposition within the opposition party to former Minister Barnier, difficulties are expected in implementing government policies in the future.
Jean-Luc Melenchon, leader of the France Invincible (LFI) party, immediately opposed the appointment of Barnier, arguing that the new prime minister would not have a majority in the bitterly divided National Assembly. Melenchon also said the appointment was against the results of the July general election, calling it “a swindle of elections.”
Source: Korean