Jean-Noël Barrot and Sébastien Lecornu have retained their positions as Foreign Minister and Minister of Defense, respectively, in the new French government led by centrist Prime Minister François Bayrou, according to an announcement from the Élysée Palace this evening, reported by Beta.
Barrot, a centrist, had previously served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs, while Lecornu, a Macronist, has been the Minister of Defense since 2022, according to Le Monde.
Gérald Darmanin, formerly the Minister of the Interior, has now been appointed Minister of Justice.
The current Minister of the Interior, Bruno Retailleau, remains in his position.
Éric Lombard, the head of an economic institution, has been appointed Minister of Economy.
Former Prime Minister Manuel Valls is now the Minister for French Overseas Territories, while Elisabeth Borne, who served as Prime Minister this year, is now the Minister of Education.
Marie Barsacq has been appointed Minister of Sports, while Rachida Dati remains Minister of Culture.
Annie Genevard has been appointed Minister of Agriculture, and Agnès Pannier-Runacher is the new Minister for Ecology.
The first meeting of the new government will be held on January 3rd.
Bayrou is the sixth prime minister of Macron’s first presidential term, and the fourth during this year alone.
France has not faced such instability in its executive powers for decades, as Bayrou was appointed after the short-lived government of Prime Minister Michel Barnier, which was recently voted out of office by the parliament.
This political crisis follows the government’s reshuffle, marking the first time since 1962, when the government of President Georges Pompidou was dismissed.
