France, new Barnier government

The secretary general of the Elysée, Alexis Kohler, announced the formation of the new government, led by Michel Barnierformalizing the list of ministers. Antoine Armand will go to Economy, Finance and Industry, Jean-Noel Barrot to Foreign Affairs, Bruno Retailleau to the Interior while Sebastien Lecornu will be confirmed as Defense.

Rachida Dati was also confirmed at Culture, while Didier Migaud goes to Justice. Among the other women in the Barnier government, Anna Genetet at National Education, Genevieve Darrieussecq at Health, Annie Genevard at Agriculture and Alien Sovereignty and Agnes Pannier-Runacher at Ecological Transition. The government spokesperson will be Maud Bregeon.

“A team, straight to work” wrote Michel Barnier on X, with the flags of France and the EU, a few minutes after the list of ministers of his new government was announced at the Elysée.

A team! Now, let’s get to work! 🇫🇷🇪🇺

— Michel Barnier (@MichelBarnier) September 21, 2024

President Emmanuel Macron has called a meeting of the new government for a cabinet meeting at 3 p.m. on Monday afternoon, the Elysée Palace announced.

Melenchon: “Let’s get rid of it as soon as possible”

“Let’s get rid of Michel Barnier’s team as soon as possible.” This is what Jean-Luc Melenchon, leader of La France Insoumise, part of the New Popular Front coalition, said shortly after the official announcement of the formation of the government of the former minister of the Republicains and former European Commissioner.

“The cast of the new Macronist disaster film has been announced” continues the post in which it is denounced that it is a government of “those who lost the legislative elections” that has “neither legitimacy nor a future”.

Bardella: “Barnier government is a return to Macronism without any future”

“This ‘new’ government marks the return of Macronism through the back door,” says Rassemblement National president Jordan Bardella. “What the French have democratically sanctioned, twice, cannot be revoked with deplorable games of apparatus and political calculations,” he wrote in X. “It is therefore a government without a future.”