Macron names centrist Bayrou as French Prime Minister in a bid to end political instability

President Emmanuel Macron has nominated centrist leader François Bayrou as France's next Prime Minister, in a bid to end political unrest.

Bayrou, the 73-year-old mayor of the southwest who leads the MoDem party, said that everyone recognizes the difficulties of the task ahead: “I think reconciliation is necessary.”

He is seen by Macron's team as a potential compromise and his job will be to avoid the fate of his predecessor. Former Brexit spokesman Michel Barnier lasted just three months and was sacked by MPs nine days ago.

Macron is about to finish his second term as president and Bayrou will be his fourth prime minister this year.

French politics have been on edge since Macron called snap parliamentary elections for the summer and a BFMTV opinion poll on Thursday suggested 61% of French voters are worried about the political situation.

Although a number of allies planned to praise Bayrou's appointment, Socialist regional leader Carole Delga said the whole process had turned into a “bad movie”. France's conservative leader Manuel Bompard lamented the “sad spectacle”.

The centre-left Socialists have said they are ready to talk to Bayrou but will not take part in his government. Leader Olivier Faure said that because Macron had chosen someone “from his camp”, the Socialists would continue to oppose.

President Macron has vowed to remain in office until the end of his second term in 2027, despite the fall of Barnier last week.

He cut short a trip to Poland on Thursday and was expected to call his new prime minister on Thursday night, but postponed it until Friday.

He then met with Bayrou at the Elysée Palace and the final decision was taken a few hours later. But indicating the tense nature of the negotiations, Le Monde The newspaper suggested that Macron had chosen another colleague, Roland Lescure, but changed his mind when Bayrou threatened to withdraw his party's support.

Bayrou was due to enter the prime minister's residence at the Hôtel Matignon in a few hours, and the red carpet was being rolled out for the transfer of power even before his name was confirmed.

His challenge will be to form a government that will not be brought down in the same way as his predecessor in the National Parliament.

Macron has already held round table talks with the leaders of all major political parties, blocking France Unbowed (LFI) of Jean-Luc Mélenchon and the National Rally of Marine Le Pen.

The question is who can be persuaded to join Bayrou's government, or at least agree to a deal so they don't fire him.

When the only way to survive a minority government is to build bridges left and right, Bayrou has the advantage of having a passing relationship with both sides, BBC Paris correspondent Hugh Schofield reports.

Michel Barnier was only elected in September and LFI MPs have indicated that they will raise another vote of no confidence in the government that will replace him.

He was voted out as Le Pen's National Rally joined left-wing MPs in rejecting his plans for 60 billion euros (£50bn) in tax increases and cuts. He wanted to reduce France's budget deficit, which is expected to reach 6.1% of GDP this year.

His outgoing government has introduced a bill that would allow provisions of the 2024 budget to continue until next year. But a replacement budget for 2025 will have to be approved when the next government takes office.

Barnier wished his successor the best of luck in what he called “this critical time for France and Europe”.

Under the political system of the Fifth Republic of France, the president is elected for five years and calls the prime minister who is chosen by the Cabinet and then appointed by the president.

In an unusual move, President Macron called snap parliamentary elections for the summer after poor results in June's EU elections. The result left France in a political quagmire, with three major political blocs formed on the left, the center and the far right.

He eventually chose Barnier to form a minority government that relied on Marine Le Pen's National Rally for survival. Macron now hopes to restore stability without relying on his party.

Three centre-left parties – the Socialists, Greens and Communists – broke away from the hard-left LFI by participating in talks with Macron.

However, they made it clear that they wanted a prime minister from the left, not a centrist.

“I told you that I wanted someone from the left and the Greens and I think Mr. Bayrou is no one else,” Greens leader Marine Tondelier told French TV on Thursday.

Patrick Kanner of the Socialists said that because his party does not associate with Bayrou's government, “that does not mean we will ignore it”.

Sébastien Chenu, Member of Parliament of the National Rally, said that in his party it was less about who Macron chose than the political line he chose. If Bayrou wants to tackle immigration and the cost of living crisis “he will find a partner in us”.

Relations between the centre-left and Jean-Luc Mélenchon's hard-line LFI appear to be fraying with the three parties' decision to pursue talks with President Macron.

After the LFI leader asked his allies to abandon the coalition agreement, Olivier Faure of the Socialists told French TV that “the louder Mélenchon shouts the less he is heard”.

Meanwhile, Marine Le Pen has called for consideration of her party's policies regarding the cost of living in the next government, by creating a budget that “does not cross the red lines of each party”.