French President Emmanuel Macron is deliberating on who to appoint as prime minister following Michel Barnier’s official resignation, which occurred a day after opposition politicians voted to remove his government.Here are some potential candidates whose names are being discussed in political circles and the French media:
Sebastien Lecornu
Sebastian Lecornu departed from the center-right The Republicans party to support Mr. Macron’s presidency in 2017, quickly becoming one of his most loyal allies.
The 38-year-old most recently held the position of defense minister in Mr. Barnier’s government, where he oversaw increased defense spending and France’s military aid to Ukraine.
Investigative news platform Mediapart and the newspaper Liberation reported that he had dined with Mr. Macron’s long-time rival, Marine Le Pen, of the far-right National Rally (RN), during discussions about the war in Ukraine earlier this year.
Mr. Lecornu denied that the meeting took place.
Francois Bayrou
Francois Bayrou is a veteran centrist whose Democratic Movement (MoDem) party has been part of President Macron’s ruling coalition since 2017.
The 73-year-old has served as the mayor of the southwestern town of Pau for many years, integrating his rural origins into his political persona. He chose not to run for a fourth presidential term in 2017, opting instead to endorse Mr. Macron.
President Macron appointed Mr. Bayrou as justice minister, although he resigned shortly thereafter due to an investigation into allegations of fraudulent employment practices within his party.
He was cleared of fraud charges this year.
Bernard Cazeneuve
Bernard Cazeneuve was a prominent member of the Socialist Party until his resignation in 2022 in protest against its decision to form an electoral alliance with the far-left France Unbowed (LFI).
At 61, he served as prime minister during the closing months of François Hollande’s presidency.
Before that, he was the interior minister, responsible for security during the Charlie Hebdo attack and the Islamist militant assault in Paris on November 13, 2015.
Selecting Mr. Cazeneuve would aim to motivate Socialist politicians to distance themselves from the alliance with LFI, the Greens, and the Communists, while also expanding a centrist ruling group.
His name had also been mentioned during the summer as President Macron was searching for a prime minister following a snap election that resulted in the current fragmented parliament.
Ultimately, he was overlooked for Mr. Barnier.
Xavier Bertrand
Xavier Bertrand is a center-right politician who leads the northern de-industrialized region of Hauts de France, where Mr. Macron is working to establish an electric vehicle battery ecosystem.
The 59-year-old held ministerial positions under the conservative presidencies of Jacques Chirac and Nicolas Sarkozy and participated in the Republicans’ primary for the 2022 presidential election.
Mr. Bertrand, previously an insurance salesman, was humorously nicknamed “floc floc” due to the sound his rubber-soled shoes made on the stone floor of parliament, and he was also considered by President Macron for the prime minister role last summer.
Francois Baroin
Francois Baroin is a center-right career politician whose father was a student friend of the late President Jacques Chirac.
The 59-year-old briefly served as finance minister after a period as budget minister during the height of Europe’s sovereign debt crisis in 2011-2012.
He was appointed chairman of Barclays France in 2022.
Mr. Baroin has been the mayor of Troyes in Champagne since 1995.
