BRUSSELS, BELGIUM – MARCH 5: European Union (EU) Chief Brexit Negotiator Michel Barnier speaks during the first post-negotiating meeting between the UK and the EU on March 5, 2020 in Brussels, Belgium.
Anadolu Agency
French President Emmanuel Macron has appointed former European Union Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier as prime minister in an attempt to end the political stalemate that has plagued the country since early July.
Macron tasked Barnier with forming a government on Thursday, according to a statement shared by the Elysee Palace.
The 73-year-old conservative prime minister will have to face a vote of no confidence in the House of Commons before he can take power.
The announcement ends weeks of political standoffs and hopes of resolving a hanging parliament left in limbo after the five-party coalition’s surprise victory in a runoff election on July 7. Macron’s centrist “Together” coalition came second in the election, while the far-right Rally National came third.
Neither faction won the 289 seats needed to secure an absolute majority, and France was plunged into running a caretaker government over the summer, when the Olympics drew huge crowds and media attention.
Following the election results, President Macron accepted the resignation of former Prime Minister Gabriel Attal on July 16.
Barnier is a familiar figure in France’s leadership, having served in four cabinet positions including minister of the environment, minister of state for European affairs, minister of foreign affairs and minister of agriculture and fisheries.
This news bulletin is being updated.
—CNBC’s Charlotte Reid contributed to this report.
