(Bloomberg) -- Now that France’s lower house of parliament has toppled the government, plunging the country into further political turmoil, President Emmanuel Macron will need to try to get his agenda back on track.
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A top priority will be to choose a new prime minister to take the place of Michel Barnier, whose tenure was the shortest since the French Fifth Republic was founded in 1958.
Whoever gets the job will need to pick up 2025 budget negotiations again in the same fragmented political environment that brought down the last administration.
“I advise him to nominate a prime minister quickly, it’s important, there mustn’t be any hesitation,” National Assembly President Yael Braun-Pivet told France Inter radio. “There is still time to give France a budget by the end of the year — It’s not easy, the time is extremely tight, but it’s possible.”
Here are the names being discussed to become France’s next premier, which notably contain no women candidates:
Sébastien Lecornu, 38: In 2022, he became the youngest defense minister since the French Revolution. He’s a Macron loyalist who originally came from the center-right Republicans party. The skilled politician has been a minister since Macron became president and has overseen a jump in military spending.
Bernard Cazeneuve, 61: A former prime minister and interior minister under Socialist President Francois Hollande. He was already considered as a possible premier this summer before Macron picked Barnier. Tapping Cazeneuve, the only left-wing name in this list, could potentially help Macron fracture the left-wing New Popular Front bloc.
François Bayrou, 73: The veteran centrist is the leader of the MoDem party, a key Macron ally in parliament. Currently the high commissioner for government planning, Bayrou supports proportional representation in parliamentary elections, which has also been backed by the National Rally.
Bruno Retailleau, 64: A former leader of the Republicans group in the Senate, he joined Barnier’s government as interior minister. He has advocated for a much tougher stance on immigration and was once close to the Philippe de Villiers, a staunch catholic politician known for his nationalist views.
Thierry Breton, 69: A former economy minister, he was European commissioner overseeing industries including technology, defense and space until September when Macron ditched him upon the demand of EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. He’s often criticized in France for his previous post as chief executive officer of Atos: Once one of France’s premier technology companies, it’s now selling assets to work its way out of a debt pile that threatened its ability to continue operating.
François Baroin, 59: Once a protege of former right-wing president Jacques Chirac, he was a minister in the 2000s and 2010s. The former journalist, who is currently the chairman of Barclays France, has been very critical of Macron, including saying that he had “no friends” and calling his decision to dissolve the National Assembly “surprising and dangerous.”
Jean Castex, 59: A former prime minister under Macron known for his southern French accent and his management skills. Currently the head of the RATP, the state-owned company that operates the Paris metro.
Michel Barnier, 73: Macron could re-name the outgoing prime minister. Barnier did, however, appear to rule himself out on Tuesday. “I want to serve,” he said. “But what does it mean if I fall tomorrow, and the day after you find me back here, as if nothing had happened?”
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