Zürcher Nachrichten - Clock ticks down on France government nomination

EUR -
AED 3.819087
AFN 72.682799
ALL 98.089398
AMD 408.896788
ANG 1.86594
AOA 954.524768
ARS 1062.897161
AUD 1.665979
AWG 1.871617
AZN 1.777387
BAM 1.948636
BBD 2.090515
BDT 123.725154
BGN 1.955014
BHD 0.392133
BIF 3061.046786
BMD 1.039787
BND 1.406131
BOB 7.154697
BRL 6.361111
BSD 1.035394
BTN 88.022406
BWP 14.310391
BYN 3.388344
BYR 20379.834362
BZD 2.081249
CAD 1.497783
CDF 2984.18977
CHF 0.932398
CLF 0.03737
CLP 1031.154673
CNY 7.589614
CNH 7.599344
COP 4564.666982
CRC 522.379595
CUC 1.039787
CUP 27.554368
CVE 109.862174
CZK 25.147272
DJF 184.372199
DKK 7.457771
DOP 63.048218
DZD 140.184369
EGP 53.110785
ERN 15.596812
ETB 129.065422
FJD 2.410903
FKP 0.823493
GBP 0.829745
GEL 2.92165
GGP 0.823493
GHS 15.220047
GIP 0.823493
GMD 74.864534
GNF 8945.1154
GTQ 7.977672
GYD 216.613671
HKD 8.078857
HNL 26.282379
HRK 7.458298
HTG 135.452043
HUF 414.927541
IDR 16823.397298
ILS 3.791088
IMP 0.823493
INR 88.514664
IQD 1356.313833
IRR 43762.057998
ISK 145.144124
JEP 0.823493
JMD 161.994466
JOD 0.73731
JPY 163.16967
KES 134.392694
KGS 90.461796
KHR 4160.704156
KMF 484.670921
KPW 935.808139
KRW 1511.1543
KWD 0.320421
KYD 0.862828
KZT 543.751028
LAK 22661.689661
LBP 92716.151012
LKR 303.98248
LRD 187.91916
LSL 19.061624
LTL 3.070222
LVL 0.628957
LYD 5.087298
MAD 10.420392
MDL 19.07089
MGA 4885.041302
MKD 61.568897
MMK 3377.189135
MNT 3533.197679
MOP 8.288728
MRU 41.176624
MUR 48.713702
MVR 15.980014
MWK 1794.887232
MXN 20.936114
MYR 4.668836
MZN 66.446297
NAD 19.061624
NGN 1607.979191
NIO 38.099935
NOK 11.79236
NPR 140.836249
NZD 1.841815
OMR 0.400316
PAB 1.035394
PEN 3.855426
PGK 4.198565
PHP 60.928948
PKR 288.191432
PLN 4.273306
PYG 8073.320348
QAR 3.774424
RON 4.977253
RSD 117.035318
RUB 104.212733
RWF 1443.294071
SAR 3.906118
SBD 8.717115
SCR 14.499106
SDG 625.434214
SEK 11.481583
SGD 1.411215
SHP 0.823493
SLE 23.710672
SLL 21803.826448
SOS 591.724664
SRD 36.528736
STD 21521.501253
SVC 9.059694
SYP 2612.497459
SZL 19.056942
THB 35.631446
TJS 11.32676
TMT 3.649654
TND 3.299171
TOP 2.435285
TRY 36.618975
TTD 7.027166
TWD 34.012527
TZS 2503.289383
UAH 43.422667
UGX 3798.037414
USD 1.039787
UYU 46.180229
UZS 13348.925833
VES 53.527677
VND 26462.591046
VUV 123.445651
WST 2.872712
XAF 653.554362
XAG 0.035083
XAU 0.000397
XCD 2.810077
XDR 0.789797
XOF 653.554362
XPF 119.331742
YER 260.336802
ZAR 19.162504
ZMK 9359.342251
ZMW 28.653662
ZWL 334.81114
  • CMSC

    0.0200

    23.86

    +0.08%

  • SCS

    -0.5800

    11.74

    -4.94%

  • RIO

    -0.0900

    58.64

    -0.15%

  • GSK

    0.1700

    33.6

    +0.51%

  • BCC

    -0.2600

    122.75

    -0.21%

  • JRI

    0.1100

    12.06

    +0.91%

  • NGG

    0.8200

    58.5

    +1.4%

  • BTI

    0.1131

    36.24

    +0.31%

  • CMSD

    0.0000

    23.56

    0%

  • AZN

    0.9100

    65.35

    +1.39%

  • RBGPF

    59.9600

    59.96

    +100%

  • BCE

    0.0500

    23.16

    +0.22%

  • RYCEF

    -0.0100

    7.27

    -0.14%

  • RELX

    -0.3100

    45.47

    -0.68%

  • VOD

    0.0100

    8.39

    +0.12%

  • BP

    0.1900

    28.6

    +0.66%

Clock ticks down on France government nomination
Clock ticks down on France government nomination / Photo: Ludovic MARIN - POOL/AFP/File

Clock ticks down on France government nomination

The clock ticked Monday for French President Emmanuel Macron to appoint the fourth government in a year marked by a deepening political crisis.

Text size:

The widely-expected announcement of the government of new prime minister Francois Bayrou was postponed on Sunday.

On Monday, the Elysee presidential palace said the new cabinet would not be announced before 1700 GMT due to a day of mourning for the victims in the cyclone-hit French overseas territory of Mayotte.

French politics has been deadlocked since Macron gambled on snap elections this year. The move backfired with no party or alliance securing a majority.

The country was plunged into fresh chaos this month after the far right and left joined forces to oust prime minister Michel Barnier, the shortest lived premier in the Fifth Republic which began in 1958.

Bayrou, appointed on December 13, had said he hoped that his new administration would be presented "over the weekend" and "in any case before Christmas".

Macron and Bayrou held a series of talks Sunday but contrary to expectations the composition of a new administration was not announced.

On Monday, France observes a national day of mourning for the cyclone victims in the Indian Ocean archipelago of Mayotte, where at least 35 people were killed and 2,500 injured.

"The length of this auditioning process... is unbearable," far-right National Rally lawmaker Jean-Philippe Tanguy told broadcaster BFMTV-RMC.

Bayrou's priority is to make sure his government can survive a no-confidence vote and that it passes a budget for next year.

He is hoping to bring in figures from the left, right and centre to protect his government from possible censure but exclude the hard left and far-right.

Bayrou is the sixth prime minister of Macron's mandate, and the fourth of 2024.

Many commentators are already predicting Bayrou's premiership will be short-lived.

- 'Already weakened' -

The fate of top posts remained uncertain but former prime minister Elisabeth Borne, former interior minister Gerald Darmanin, and Xavier Bertrand, the right-wing head of the northern Hauts-de-France region, have been mentioned as possible members of Bayrou's team.

Outgoing interior minister Bruno Retailleau, a conservative who has vowed to crack down on illegal immigration, was expected to keep his job however.

Right-wimg culture minister Rachida Dati and defence Minister Sebastien Lecornu might also keep their jobs.

Bayrou has endured a tumultuous first week as premier, after facing criticism for attending a hall meeting in his home city of Pau, where he is mayor, while Mayotte grappled with the deadly aftermath of Cyclone Chido.

A new poll by Ifop for the Journal du Dimanche weekly found 66 percent of respondents were unhappy with his performance.

Only 34 percent said they were satisfied or very satisfied with Bayrou.

Going to back to 1959, Ifop said it had not seen such a low rating for a prime minister starting the job.

"Francois Bayrou, still without a government and already weakened," said French daily Le Monde.

Hard-left firebrand Jean-Luc Melenchon of the France Unbowed party (LFI) has vowed to table a motion of no confidence when Bayrou gives a policy speech to parliament on January 14.

bur-hr-lum-as/ach

G.Kuhn--NZN