Francois Bayrou, the leader of the center-left Democratic Movement party, has become the new Prime Minister of France. This was announced on Friday at the Elysee Palace, UNN reports.
"The President of the Republic has appointed Mr. François Bayrou as Prime Minister and instructed him to form a government," the statement said.
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François Bayrou was formerly the Minister of Justice of France, and also served as the former Minister of Education. He is the head of the Union for French Democracy. He ran for president of France in the 2002, 2007, and 2012 presidential elections. In addition, Bayrou is co-chairman of the European Democratic Party.
The appointment is an important step in the formation of a new government to replace the cabinet headed by Michel Barnier. Barnier resigned last week after the government was defeated by a vote of far-right and left-wing MPs in parliament. This event was another test for the country, which is facing its second political crisis in the last six months.