François Bayrou

He was Minister of National Education from 1993 to 1997, mayor of Pau from 2014 to 2026 and Prime Minister from December 2024 to September 2025. He is named in the race for the 2027 French presidential election.

Career

Bayrou sat in the National Assembly in 1986–1993, 1997–1999 and 2002–2012, and in the European Parliament in 1999–2002. He was Minister of National Education in 1993–1997 and briefly Minister of Justice in 2017, resigning after 35 days. He ran for president in 2002, 2007 (third place with 18.57%) and 2012, and did not run in 2017, when he endorsed Emmanuel Macron. Appointed Prime Minister on 13 December 2024, he lost a confidence vote he had called himself on 8 September 2025 and resigned the next day.

Positions

Wikipedia describes him as a centrist who presents himself as a third-way democrat. He advocates proportional representation, a stronger role for the European Union and the protection of civil liberties.

Controversies

In the case of European Parliament assistants allegedly paid while working for his party, a court of first instance acquitted Bayrou in 2024, giving him the benefit of the doubt, while the party was convicted. Prosecutors appealed. His appeal trial opened in Paris on 9 September 2026; prosecutors requested a two-year suspended prison sentence, a 50,000-euro fine and a three-year suspended ineligibility. He denies involvement, and the court of appeal is to rule on 17 December 2026.

Summarised automatically from the linked sources. Wikipedia · La Gazette France

Photo: Service photographique de Matignon, Licence Ouverte, Wikimedia Commons (cropped)