France's newly appointed Prime Minister, Francois Bayrou, is facing a wave of criticism less than a week into the job. He came under fire on Tuesday for opting to chair a provincial town hall meeting while the French Indian Ocean island of Mayotte struggled to recover from the devastating impact of a recent cyclone.
The controversy erupted less than a week after Bayrou was named as the sixth prime minister of President Emmanuel Macron's mandate with the task of ending months of political crisis.
The veteran centrist had already ruffled some feathers by insisting that he would keep his post as mayor of the southwestern city of Pau while serving as prime minister.
The appointment marks a significant moment in Macron’s second term, as Bayrou, a long-time ally of the president, steps into the role with a wealth of political experience.
Bayrou, who has served as the mayor of Pau, a southwestern city, for the past decade, made headlines even before his appointment by insisting on retaining his mayoral duties while taking on the prime ministership. This dual role raised eyebrows, especially since many previous prime ministers chose to resign from their municipal posts.
On Monday evening, Bayrou traveled to Pau to attend a town hall meeting, where he confirmed that he would stay on in the post that he has held for the last decade.
A proud native of southwestern France, Bayrou has long been a figure of political influence in the region.
Mayotte crisis meeting
His absence from a crisis meeting on Mayotte, which Macron chaired to discuss the devastating aftermath of Cyclone Chido, raised some concerns.
Bayrou participated in the Mayotte discussion remotely via video conference, a move that was not well received by some.
Macron to visit Mayotte and declare period of national mouring in wake of Cyclone Chido
French National Assembly speaker Yael Braun-Pivet, a member of Macron's centrist party, criticised his trip to Pau.
"In the face of such a catastrophe, it is important to be side-by-side with the people," she told French public broadcaster Franceinfo.
"I would have preferred that the prime minister, instead of taking a plane for Pau, took a plane for Mamoudzou," the capital of Mayotte, where hundreds are feared dead due to the cyclone.
The head of the hard-left France Unbowed (LFI) in parliament Mathilde Panot said that after "20 years of the politics of abandonment" of Mayotte, Bayrou "did not understand the symbol" he had sent by going to Pau.
Meanwhile, Republicans (LR) MP Thibault Bazin, suggested that the municipal council in Pau could have "done without" the presence of its mayor "given the situation in Mayotte and the urgency of having a government as soon as possible to give France a budget as soon as possible".
François Bayrou named French prime minister as Macron seeks stability
On Tuesday, in front of the deputies, Bayrou defended his presence the day before in Pau arguing that "we do not have the right to separate the provinces and the circle of powers in Paris."
"Pau is in France [...] I chaired the municipal council of my city from 7pm to 11pm. I consider that, by doing so, I was also fulfilling my role as a citizen, and I intend to defend the idea that citizenship is not divided between being in Paris and fulfilling one's responsibilities as a citizen on the ground," he said.
Bayrou, appointed on Friday, has yet to name his cabinet, with the previous administration's ministers staying on in a caretaker role for now.
(with AFP)
