PARIS (Reuters) – France’s new government will not be announced before Monday evening to take into account a day of mourning for cyclone-hit Mayotte, the presidency said in a statement, prolonging the political uncertainty in a major European power.
Incoming centrist prime minister Francois Bayrou has struggled for almost 10 days to put together a government as he looks to stave off a vote of no-confidence in mid-January and ensure parliament agrees on a budget for 2025 in February.
“Given the national day of mourning, the (government) announcement will not be before 1800 (1700 GMT),” the presidency said. There are fears that hundreds or even thousands may have been killed by Cyclone Chido in France’s Indian Ocean territory of Mayotte.
Bayrou initially sought to broaden his incoming administration to appeal to both the left-wing Socialist party and the conservative Les Republicains, hoping not to suffer the fate of his predecessor Michel Barnier, whose government collapsed after just three months amid opposition to his budget measures.
However, Bayrou, who has vowed to name his government before Christmas, has failed in particular to satisfy demands from the left in his quest to secure majority support in a deeply fractured parliament.
In a letter seen by Reuters addressed to Les Republicains, which won just 5% of votes in the summer parliamentary election, Bayrou sets out security and budgetary measures in the hope of ensuring it joins the next government.
Bayrou is trying to cut a wide budget deficit but is finding consensus as hard to achieve as Barnier. An opinion poll published on Dec. 19 found 64% were dissatisfied with his appointment as prime minister.
After a European Parliament election last June in which the far-right Rassemblement National made significant gains, President Emmanuel Macron called a snap parliamentary election that he promised would bring more clarity.
Instead, no party or bloc won a majority, leaving parliament divided into three main blocs, and Macron’s nominees for prime minister so far unable to muster the majority support that would enable them to survive an inevitable vote of no-confidence.