Bayrou claims Macron feared appointing him as prime minister due to his presidential ambitions

In a revealing interview with Le Point magazine, François Bayrou disclosed that French President Emmanuel Macron initially hesitated to appoint him as Prime Minister due to Bayrou's desire to become the head of state.

Report informs via TASS that, according to Bayrou, when he was invited to a meeting at the Élysée Palace on December 13, he was confident that Macron would announce his appointment as Prime Minister. However, the President stated that he could not do so. "I will not appoint you, and I will explain why. I don't need someone who is brilliant or someone who wants to participate in the presidential elections," Bayrou quoted Macron as saying.

Following this conversation, Bayrou concluded that Macron would appoint the Minister of the Armed Forces, Sébastien Lecornu, to the position. However, Bayrou did not consider Lecornu a suitable choice for handling the internal political crisis.

Bayrou ultimately agreed to take on the role of Prime Minister "not for myself, but because the political crisis and the dismissal of then-Prime Minister Michel Barnier required his replacement by a strong personality."

Macron appointed the 73-year-old Bayrou as Prime Minister on December 13.