French PM Barnier holds final talks as reports suggest new govt to be announced

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00:00It's been two weeks since Michel Barnier was named France's new prime minister.

00:04The country is still waiting for a new government to be named.

00:06Tackling France's budget crisis is set to be a major challenge,

00:09with members from Barnier's own party saying tax hikes would be out of the question.

00:14We can now go across to Clovis Casali, standing by outside the Élysée Palace,

00:20or the Matignon, the prime minister's residence.

00:23Clovis, good afternoon.

00:24The prime minister is due to hold final consultations this afternoon.

00:28Who exactly is Michel Barnier meeting with?

00:59What's important here is the balance of power in the next government.

01:03Every party trying to get the best deal.

01:06And remember, yesterday, these meetings with Attal, the former prime minister,

01:11and Barnier, the new prime minister, for instance,

01:14these meetings were cancelled over tensions, over friction.

01:19Matignon and the Élysée are now saying that a government could be announced today.

01:25Nothing's for sure, of course, but these meetings will be crucial

01:28in order to get that final list of ministers.

01:33If Michel Barnier and the parties manage to get some kind of agreement,

01:37Michel Barnier tips to then head to the Élysée Palace,

01:40meet with the French president.

01:41But again, nothing's for sure.

01:44An announcement could be made today, possibly tomorrow.

01:47Clovis, we know that Michel Barnier's prime ministership

01:51is being propped up by the far right.

01:55Given that the far right, as a single party,

01:58has the highest number of seats after recent parliamentary polls,

02:02could we potentially see a far-right minister named in this government,

02:06even though Marine Le Pen says she wants nothing to do with this current government?

02:13Short answer, no.

02:14President Macron and the prime minister, Michel Barnier, share the same view.

02:19They refuse to govern with what they see as extremist parties.

02:23That means the National Rally, the French far right,

02:26but also the radical left, France En Barde, of Jean-Luc Mélenchon.

02:31But in order to survive a vote of no confidence at the National Assembly,

02:37Michel Barnier knows perfectly well that he needs some kind of support

02:41from the National Rally, from the French far right,

02:44very powerful in Parliament.

02:47Therefore, he is likely to try to appease them, if you will,

02:51please them with laws on security, maybe on immigration.

02:56In the past, Michel Barnier had a very tough, strong stance on immigration.

03:01So that could be a way to at least please the National Rally.

03:06And then another big point, what about the left?

03:09Emmanuel Macron, the French president,

03:11wants to have some kind of national unity,

03:16or at least get some left-wing figures in government.

03:19Problem is, no one wants to go.

03:21No one wants to join this government on the left side.

03:24It means certainly not the left wing,

03:27the radical left of Jean-Luc Mélenchon, or even the socialists.

03:30And it does seem that Métignon and Michel Barnier

03:32are struggling to recruit any kind of left-wing figures

03:36for the next government.

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