New French Gov't Named As Political, Economic Challenges Loom Over

(MENAFN- Kuwait News Agency (KUNA)) Analysis by Mohammad Al-Otaibi
PARIS, Dec 24 (KUNA) -- The newly named French government has a slew of Political and economic challenges to address as people pin much hope on Francois Bayrou to restore stability nationwide.
French President Emmanuel macron has named a new government, putting together a team under Francois Bayrou, his fourth prime Minister this year, in a bid to stem the tide of this European country's crisis.
Bayrou, 73, who belongs to the centrist wing, was appointed as Prime Minister on December 13, replacing Michel Barnier, who was stripped of confidence by the parliament.
Michel Barnier submitted his resignation to President Emmanuel Macron following a no-confidence vote against him and his government by the French Parliament.
Barnier's resignation followed his failure to secure parliamentary support after invoking Article 49.3 to bypass a parliamentary vote and push through the controversial 2025 social security budget as part of the national budget.
The 2025 budget, which failed to gain parliamentary backing, aims to reduce France's massive deficit by saving USD 60 billion and introducing new taxes.
Bayrou has, thence, become the sixth prime minister during Macron's presidency since 2017 and the fourth in 2024 alone in a clear-cut sign of France's worst political instability in decades.
Macron named former prime minister Elisabeth Borne education minister in a new cabinet under centrist Bayrou, Manuel Valls, also former premier, returned as overseas territories minister and former interior minister Gerald Darmanin became justice minister.
Both Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu and Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot kept their jobs in the new lineup.
Conservative Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau, who had vowed to crack down on illegal immigration, also stayed in his post.
The inclusion of two former prime ministers reflects Macron's desire for a heavyweight government that would enjoy stability and avoid the same fate of Bayrou's predecessor Michel Barnier.
The priority for 73-year-old Bayrou is to make sure his government can survive a no-confidence vote and that it passes a cost-cutting budget for 2025.
The new government is set to come together for the first time on January 3 at a very critical time in France involving political and economic challenges, a state of stagnation and weak parliamentary backing, issues that blocked the former government from passing significant pieces of legislation, particularly a new budget bill.
Bayrou-led government has a set of serious challenges to address, mainly how to win the National Assembly (parliament) confidence and have next year's budget passed.
The new cabinet will have to take uneasy decisions to restore stability in the country by cutting the budget deficit and revamping economic growth, not to mention urgent measures to ensure local and international market stability.
In the meantime, French citizens pin much hope on the new government to wriggle out of the aftershocks of seriously mounting crises by means of creating some sort of equilibrium with a view to defusing domestic problems.
Furthermore, the lingering economic crisis in France is considered to be the biggest challenge Bayrou has to tackle, given that the surging inflation rate is one of the main concerns of the French people since it affects their purchasing power.
Internationally, immigration is a controversial issue in the French policy in light of the growing number of migrants, placing further political pressure on the new government to adopt stricter immigration measures.
In this context, Bayrou-led cabinet is required to take bolder decisions to look into this thorny dossier whether by overhauling immigration laws or collaborating with the European Union (EU) to find shared solutions.
The cyclone-hit Indian Ocean archipelago of Mayotte, France's poorest overseas territory, adds fuel to the fire for the new cabinet to mitigate relevant reflections since it has caused heavy casualties and damage.
Amid all such economic, political and social challenges, Bayrou may have to enter into political dialogue with opposition parties and trade unions in an endeavor to arrive at concrete solutions, while bearing in mind that any drastic economic about-turn could only aggravate the already volatile situation in the country. (end)
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