France: Emmanuel Macron appoints former chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier as new PM

Newly appointed Prime minister Michel Barnier in Paris on Thursday. Pic/AFP

French President Emmanuel Macron has appointed former chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier as the new Prime Minister (PM) of the country, the Elysee Palace, which is the official residence of the French President, said in a statement on Thursday.

Barnier's appointment has finally put the political chaos in France to rest.

"This nomination comes after an unprecedented cycle of consultations, and in view of his constitutional duty, the president made sure that the prime minister and its government will have the most stable conditions possible and be able to unite more widely," the Elysee Palace said in a written statement, according to Politico.

Barnier became the head of the Brexit task force in 2016.

Prior to that, he had served four times as a cabinet minister, as well as twice as a European commissioner, Politico reported.

It is pertinent to note that Barnier may be a known personality in Brussels, but is not known much at home in France. He is a conservative figure from the Les Republicains party.

Barnier will now begin the arduous task of forming a government that won't be immediately collapsed by a deeply divided French legislature.

Snap elections held this summer resulted in a hung parliament in France, with the pan-left New Popular Front winning the most seats but falling short of an outright majority.

Macron rejected to select the alliance's prime minister candidate, 37-year-old civil servant Lucie Castets, claiming she lacked the skills to rule effectively, reported Politico.

Barnier, notably emerged as the frontrunner on late Wednesday, just hours before his official nomination.

This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever.