Emmanuel Macron named François Bayrou as France’s new prime minister on Friday, following the former officeholder Michel Barnier’s forced resignation following a vote of no confidence.
Bayrou, 73, is the founder of the centrist Democratic Movement political party (MoDem) and mayor of the southwestern town of Pau.
“Fate has brushed him with its wings,” former MoDem deputy and friend of Bayrou, Jean-Louis Bourlanges, told French media Le Monde.
Bourlanges refers to Bayrou’s repeated attempts at France’s presidency. He ran for president three times before rallying behind Macron in 2017.
Bayrou now faces the challenge of forming a government and securing approval for a budget facing a deeply divided parliament, where Macron contends with staunch opposition from both left-wing and far-right factions.
“Everyone is aware of the difficulty of the task. I think that there is a path to be found that brings people together instead of dividing them,” Bayrou told reporters in Paris.