French President Emmanuel Macron named Michel Barnier as his new prime minister on Thursday (5), in a bid to end political paralysis following a parliamentary election in which no party won an absolute majority.
The nomination required negotiations with the main blocs that emerged victorious in the dispute — and left out the two main forces elected to parliament: the left-wing bloc, led by the France Insoumise party, and the far-right party, Rally National.
History of the new French Prime Minister
Michel Barnier was responsible for leading European diplomacy in the negotiations for the United Kingdom’s exit from the bloc.
He began his political career in 1978, at the age of 27, when he was elected deputy for the district of Savoie, located in east-central France. The region’s electorate is seen as predominantly center-right and has been influential in the political movement initiated by General and former President Charles de Gaulle.
During the presidency of Jacques Chirac, Barnier was Minister of the Environment (1993-1995) and responsible for France’s interaction with the rest of Europe (1995-1997).
The representative of the French center-right was also Minister of Foreign Affairs in 2004, for one year. Two years later he was Minister of Agriculture and in the same year he was elected to the European Parliament.
In 2010, Barnier served on the European Commission, the executive arm of the European bloc, and negotiated extensive new financial market regulations shortly after the 2008 global crisis.
When the UK left the European Union in 2016, Barnier was one of the negotiators representing the bloc in the talks.
The politician decided to run for President of France in 2021. During this period, he toughened his criticism of immigration and adopted more conservative policies than those observed throughout his career.
Still, Michel Barnier failed to be nominated by his conservative party.
(With information from Reuters)
This content was originally published in New French Prime Minister is against immigration and negotiated Brexit; see history on the CNN Brasil website.
Source: CNN Brasil
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