François Bayrou

Leader’s first speech will test his ability to strike deals with opposition parties.

The French government has shown openness to revisiting the 2023 law changing the retirement age in exchange for tacit support from the center-left.

Bayrou will lay out how he plans to navigate the same fragmented legislature which brought down his predecessor.

A potential deal with the center left now looks more likely but could involve a significant concession.

Sébastien Lecornu warned that if the program opens the door to non-EU arms producers, “it’s better to do nothing.”

Responses to the 96-year-old’s death have become something of a political Rorschach test in France.

The Socialists have taken timid steps toward emancipation from far-left firebrand Jean-Luc Mélenchon.

But finance ministry officials insist it’s just a time-saving move, not an endorsement of Michel Barnier’s plans.

Hopes are high the finance veteran, who leans politically left, will help to unite France’s fragmented parliament over the budget.

The prime minister has failed his first big test. Despite presenting another crop of ministers, he hasn’t built a broader political base.

Will this one last any longer?

New French prime minister promises to present a budget in February, offers to review controversial pensions reform.

The French Senate unanimously voted in favor of the text.

“He has lost his grip on the international scene, and is at odds with everyone,” the far-right leader said.

Bayrou’s decision to stay on as mayor of a small city has drawn controversy as he struggles to negotiate with opposition parties.

Will François Bayrou’s government collapse over a budget vote, just as his predecessor’s did?

Things aren’t going smoothly between the French president and his new prime minister.

One of Macron’s earliest supporters, Bayrou’s robust profile allows him to set himself apart from the president.

The far-right leader took down the last prime minister. But she now appears willing to work with the next one.

Macron has missed his own 48-hour deadline to appoint a successor to Michel Barnier.

The French president is trying to limit the far-right National Rally’s influence and find a way forward with the center left, but a path ahead remains elusive.

With the country’s political system crippled, the French president is pushing to persuade opposition leaders to compromise.