CABINET MEETING
Macron’s centrist ally Francois Bayrou, a former justice minister acquitted in a trial this year on charges of embezzling EU funds, has been tipped by many as a possible contender for prime minister.
However, Socialist Party leader Olivier Faure spoke out against the candidacy of Bayrou, 73, whom he said would embody “continuity”, whereas he wanted to see a prime minister from the left.
Other possible candidates include former foreign minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, who according to sources rejected an initial offer but is still in the frame, and current Defence Minister Sebastien Lecornu.
Maud Bregeon, spokeswoman for the caretaker government, said that Macron – at what was Barnier’s last cabinet meeting on Wednesday – had evoked the possibility of a non-aggression pact that would see parties commit to not bringing down the government.
“The country has neither the luxury of instability, nor the luxury of immobility,” she said.
