French President Emmanuel Macron nominates Michel Barnier as the country’s new prime minister

Barnier will now have to survive a no-confidence vote in the National Assembly, France’s lower house of the parliament.

Transcript

00:00Former right-wing minister and EU Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier has been appointed the new

00:08French Prime Minister, the LSE Palace announced on Thursday.

00:15French President Emmanuel Macron asked the political veteran to form a unifying government

00:20two months after the snap parliamentary election.

00:25The plum job is not set in stone, as 73-year-old Barnier from the minor Republican party will

00:32now need to survive a no-confidence vote in France's lower house.

00:38Leaders from the far-left coalition have blasted the former European Commissioner's potential

00:43appointment, predicting Barnier would not garner majority backing.

00:47The nomination comes weeks after increasing pressure from political groups to nominate

01:12a candidate and 50 days of caretaker government.

01:17Barnier replaces Gabrielle Attal, who resigned mid-July following quickfire legislative elections

01:23that produced a divided and hung parliament, which plunged France into political turmoil.