Sources: Right wing in the new French government

The government is expected to be presented by Sunday after some final minor adjustments, Barnier’s office said on Friday.

– This will be a government that is ready to act in the service of the French people, says the statement.

The Prime Minister was on Thursday evening in meetings with President Emmanuel Macron at the Elysée Palace in an attempt to end months of deadlocked political situation.

According to the AFP news agency, there may be new faces to be seen in most central positions. Outgoing Prime Minister Gabriel Attal says that Macron’s center party will get at least seven of 16 ministers, while the right-wing LR party will get three and the liberal Modem will get two. The rest is divided into smaller lots in the center and to the right.

The right wing gets the minister of the interior

As foreign minister, Barnier is proposing current European minister Jean-Noel Barrot, sources close to the faction of Macron’s Renaissance party told AFP.

Several sources state that Barnier is proposing Bruno Retailleau, who is his party colleague in the right-wing party Les Républicains and leads their faction in the French Senate, for the post of interior minister. Getting to run the Ministry of the Interior, which takes care of, among other things, the police and internal security, will be a big victory for the right.

A key cabinet minister who is said to be staying is Defense Minister Sébastien Lecornu, who is said to have a close and trusting relationship with President Macron. Culture Minister Rachida Dati will probably also stay.

Not a majority

In addition, 33-year-old Antoine Armand from Macron’s party is expected to become economy minister, according to AFP’s sources.

The sources add that names on the government list still need to be double-checked to ensure they have no conflicts of interest before entering government, which is standard procedure.

But Macron will not “censor any names”, says a source close to him.

The President can veto the proposals of Prime Minister Barnier, but at this point such a thing would cause enormous friction between them.

A new election in July gave none of the parties or groupings a majority in the National Assembly, and earlier this month Barnier was given the task of trying to break up the deadlock.