Veteran centrist figure, Francois Bayrou, became France’s fourth prime minister in a year on Friday after President Emmanuel Macron named his longtime ally as the new head of government.
The announcement came in a one-sentence statement from the Elysee Palace after Macron missed his own deadline for naming a new premier. The two met for nearly two hours earlier Friday.
Bayrou, 73, replaces conservative heavyweight Michel Barnier, who was ousted last week after far-right leader Marine Le Pen joined the left in a censure motion over a budget dispute.
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