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Welcome back to World Brief, where we’re looking at France’s fourth prime minister this year, Russia targeting Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, and a deadly Israeli attack on a post office in Gaza.
Who Is François Bayrou?
French President Emmanuel Macron appointed centrist Pau Mayor François Bayrou, 73, on Friday to be the country’s next prime minister. As the head of the Democratic Movement party and one of Macron’s closest allies, Bayrou takes the helm at a time when paralysis continues to plague Paris’s National Assembly.
Welcome back to World Brief, where we’re looking at France’s fourth prime minister this year, Russia targeting Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, and a deadly Israeli attack on a post office in Gaza.
Who Is François Bayrou?
French President Emmanuel Macron appointed centrist Pau Mayor François Bayrou, 73, on Friday to be the country’s next prime minister. As the head of the Democratic Movement party and one of Macron’s closest allies, Bayrou takes the helm at a time when paralysis continues to plague Paris’s National Assembly.
“It is a long road; everyone knows that,” Bayrou said on Friday. But, he added, “I am not the first to take a long road.” Bayrou will be France’s fourth prime minister this year after a no-confidence vote last week ousted his predecessor, Michel Barnier. Barnier’s three months in office were the shortest-tenured government in modern French history.
Bayrou must now form a cabinet capable of passing legislation through France’s hung parliament; the left-wing New Popular Front coalition won the largest share of seats during snap elections this summer but fell short of a majority, while the far-right National Rally party secured major gains and Macron’s centrist Renaissance party failed to meet expectations. Barnier’s decision to push a budget bill, which included unpopular spending cuts and tax increases, through parliament without a final vote led to Macron’s left-wing and far-right opponents rallying together to ensure Barnier’s downfall.
Rising debt and a high deficit remain top concerns for Macron’s new government, as the country’s budget deficit is at more than 6 percent of its GDP, well above the European Union’s 3 percent limit. Bayrou will need to prioritize finalizing an emergency budget by mid-December to avoid essential state services shutting down and prevent a eurozone crisis like the one that Greece faced following the global recession in 2008.
Bayrou must also accomplish all of this without sparking another no-confidence vote. The French far right appears willing to wait to see how his administration proceeds. “Our red lines remain,” National Rally leader Jordan Bardella said. “The ball is now in François Bayrou’s court.”
Members of the New Popular Front, though, remain divided over Bayrou’s appointment. Communist Party leader Fabien Roussel called the nomination of a Macron ally a “bad signal” but agreed to give Bayrou the benefit of the doubt. However, far-left France Unbowed leader Mathilde Panot immediately rejected Bayrou as an extension of Macron’s pro-business policies. “The country has two clear choices: continuing ill-fated policies with François Bayrou, or making a clean break,” Panot wrote on X.
Panot also reiterated calls for Macron to step down. The French president said last Thursday that he will carry out his term until it ends in 2027.
Today’s Most Read
What We’re Following
Power cuts. Russia launched a massive aerial attack on Ukrainian energy facilities on Friday as the country prepares for another grueling winter. Despite local temperatures hitting minus 6 degrees Celsius (or 21 degrees Fahrenheit), the assault—which Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called “one of the largest strikes” on the country’s power facilities—has forced authorities to impose longer electricity cuts for millions of Ukrainians.
The extent of the damage is still unclear. Moscow reportedly launched 93 missiles—including at least one supplied by North Korea—and nearly 200 drones at Ukraine. Zelensky said Kyiv’s forces intercepted 81 missiles and that at least six facilities were damaged in the western Lviv region, which borders Poland.
Russian troops have regularly targeted Ukraine’s energy infrastructure since Moscow’s full-scale invasion began in February 2022, and experts predict that these strikes could escalate as a show of force following the recent ouster of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, a key Russian ally.
Zelensky used the attack to appeal for greater Western support in Kyiv’s war against Moscow. On Thursday, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte warned that Russian President Vladimir Putin wants to “wipe Ukraine off the map” and could target other European nations next. In a sign of increasing worry on the continent, Reuters reported on Friday that Switzerland is planning to revitalize its Cold War-era nuclear bunker system.
Deadly assault. An Israeli airstrike late Thursday killed more than 30 Palestinians sheltering at a post office in Gaza’s Nuseirat refugee camp. Israel said the attack targeted a senior Islamic Jihad member, and it accused the militant group of using civilians as human shields. Authorities did not specify who the targeted individual was or if they were killed. According to the Gaza Health Ministry, nearly 45,000 people have been killed in the enclave since the war began last October.
The deadly attack comes as top White House officials tour the Middle East this week to push for cease-fire and hostage-release talks between Israel and Hamas. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited Ankara on Friday, where he encouraged Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan to pressure Hamas militants to accept a truce deal; much of Hamas’s political leadership has relocated to Istanbul since the start of the war. Blinken then made a surprise stop in Iraq to discuss the situation in Syria and efforts to prevent an Islamic State resurgence.
New indictments. A Pakistani court indicted former Prime Minister Imran Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi, on Thursday for allegedly keeping and selling state gifts worth more than $500,000, including jewelry that Khan received while in office, at less than their market value. The decision is the latest ruling on one of several graft cases that Khan faces. Both Khan and Bibi pleaded not guilty to the charges.
This month, Khan—who remains in prison for a 2023 conviction—was also indicted on charges of inciting attacks against Pakistan’s military. The charges stem from mass anti-government protests last year that turned deadly as military forces cracked down on those who called for Khan’s release. Nationwide unrest “is unsettling for the country’s social stability, especially against a backdrop of economic stress, surging terrorism, and rising public discontent about the conflict in the Middle East,” FP’s Michael Kugelman wrote in South Asia Brief following demonstrations in October.
What in the World?
Who won Ghana’s presidential election on Saturday?
A. Incumbent President Nana Akufo-Addo
B. Former President John Dramani Mahama
C. Incumbent Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia
D. Liberal Party leader Kofi Akpaloo
Odds and Ends
First came Moo Deng, Thailand’s baby pygmy hippo, beloved for her bouncing waddle and for chewing on her handlers’ knees. Now, though, Moo Deng may have some competition. Meet Junjun, an 11-month-old bear cub in Shanghai who loves playing with toys and splashing in water. The brown bear has become an internet sensation, drawing crowds of adoring fans this month who are hoping to spot the fuzzy cub performing his favorite antics.
And the Answer Is…
B. Former President John Dramani Mahama
Mahama inherits an economic crisis that led Ghana to receive its 17th bailout from the International Monetary Fund in 2022, FP’s Nosmot Gbadamosi writes in Africa Brief.
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