François René Jean Lucien Bayrou (; born 25 May 1951) is a French politician who has served as
Prime Minister of France
The prime minister of France (), officially the prime minister of the French Republic (''Premier ministre de la République française''), is the head of government of the French Republic and the leader of its Council of Ministers.
The prime ...
since December 2024. He has presided over the
European Democratic Party
The European Democratic Party (EDP; French: ''Parti démocrate européen'', PDE), also known as the European Democrats, is a centrist European political party in favour of European integration.
Within the European Parliament, its MEPs form th ...
(EDP) since 2004 and the
Democratic Movement (MoDem) since 2007. A
centrist
Centrism is the range of political ideologies that exist between left-wing politics and right-wing politics on the left–right political spectrum. It is associated with moderate politics, including people who strongly support moderate policie ...
, he was a candidate in the
2002
The effects of the September 11 attacks of the previous year had a significant impact on the affairs of 2002. The war on terror was a major political focus. Without settled international law, several nations engaged in anti-terror operation ...
,
2007
2007 was designated as the International Heliophysical Year and the International Polar Year.
Events
January
* January 1
**Bulgaria and Romania 2007 enlargement of the European Union, join the European Union, while Slovenia joins the Eur ...
and
2012 presidential elections.
From 1993 to 1997, Bayrou was
Minister of National Education in three successive governments. He was also a member of the
National Assembly
In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the repr ...
for a seat in
Pyrénées-Atlantiques
Pyrénées-Atlantiques (; Gascon language, Gascon Occitan language, Occitan: ''Pirenèus Atlantics''; ) is a Departments of France, department located in the Regions of France, region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine in the southwest corner of metropolitan ...
from 1986 to 2012 with brief interruptions and a
Member of the European Parliament
A member of the European Parliament (MEP) is a person who has been Election, elected to serve as a popular representative in the European Parliament.
When the European Parliament (then known as the Common Assembly of the European Coal and S ...
(MEP) from 1999 to 2002. He has been mayor of
Pau since 2014.
It was speculated that Bayrou would be a candidate in the
2017 presidential election, but he decided not to run and instead supported
Emmanuel Macron
Emmanuel Jean-Michel Frédéric Macron (; born 21 December 1977) is a French politician who has served as President of France and Co-Prince of Andorra since 2017. He was Ministry of Economy and Finance (France), Minister of Economics, Industr ...
, who – after winning the election – named him
Minister of State
Minister of state is a designation for a government minister, with varying meanings in different jurisdictions. In a number of European countries, the title is given as an honorific conferring a higher rank, often bestowed upon senior minister ...
for Justice in the
government
A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a State (polity), state.
In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive (government), execu ...
headed by
Édouard Philippe
Édouard Charles Philippe (; born 28 November 1970) is a French politician serving as Mayor (France), mayor of Le Havre since 2020, previously holding the office from 2010 to 2017. He was Prime Minister of France from 15 May 2017 to 3 July 202 ...
. On 21 June 2017, he resigned from the government amid an investigation into the MoDem's allegedly fraudulent employment of parliamentary assistants, initiated earlier that month. He was cleared of those accusations in 2024.
On , he was appointed as Prime Minister by Emmanuel Macron after
Michel Barnier's government was
brought down by a vote of
no confidence.
Early life
Bayrou was born on 25 May 1951 in
Bordères, Pyrénées-Atlantiques, a village located between
Pau and
Lourdes
Lourdes (, also , ; ) is a market town situated in the Pyrenees. It is part of the Hautes-Pyrénées department in the Occitanie region in southwestern France. Prior to the mid-19th century, the town was best known for its Château fort, a ...
. He is the son of farmer Calixte Bayrou (1909–1974),
MRP mayor of Bordères from 1947 to 1953, and Emma Sarthou (1917–2009).
Bayrou descends from an ancestry of primarily
Occitans
The Occitans () are a Romance-speaking ethnic group originating in the historical region of Occitania (southern France, northeastern Spain, and northwestern Italy and Monaco). They have been also called Gascons, Provençals, and Auvergnats.The O ...
except from his maternal grandmother's side which is Irish.
When Bayrou was in his youth, he developed a
stutter
Stuttering, also known as stammering, is a speech disorder characterized externally by involuntary repetitions and prolongations of sounds, syllables, words, or phrases as well as involuntary silent pauses called blocks in which the person who ...
which led to him attending
speech therapy
Speech is the use of the human voice as a medium for language. Spoken language combines vowel and consonant sounds to form units of meaning like words, which belong to a language's lexicon. There are many different intentional speech acts, suc ...
for seven years. He first went to secondary school in Pau, before transferring to Bordeaux. He studied literature at university, and at the age of 23, sat the "
agrégation
In France, the () is the most competitive and prestigious examination for civil service in the French public education
A state school, public school, or government school is a primary school, primary or secondary school that educates all stu ...
", the highest qualifying level for teachers in senior high schools and
preparatory classes in France. Around the same time, his father was killed in a tractor accident.
Bayrou married Élisabeth Perlant, also known as "Babette", in 1971. He and Perlant have five children, Hélène, Marie, Dominique, Calixte and Agnès. The children were raised on the farm where Bayrou was born and where Bayrou currently lives with Perlant.
Prior to embarking on his political career, Bayrou taught history in
Béarn
Béarn (; ; or ''Biarn''; or ''Biarno''; or ''Bearnia'') is one of the traditional provinces of France, located in the Pyrenees mountains and in the plain at their feet, in Southwestern France. Along with the three Northern Basque Country, ...
in the French
Pyrenees
The Pyrenees are a mountain range straddling the border of France and Spain. They extend nearly from their union with the Cantabrian Mountains to Cap de Creus on the Mediterranean coast, reaching a maximum elevation of at the peak of Aneto. ...
. He has written several books on politics and history, including one on King
Henry IV of France
Henry IV (; 13 December 1553 – 14 May 1610), also known by the epithets Good King Henry (''le Bon Roi Henri'') or Henry the Great (''Henri le Grand''), was King of Navarre (as Henry III) from 1572 and King of France from 1589 to 16 ...
. Bayrou's hobby is raising horses. He is a practising
Roman Catholic
The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...
, but strongly supports France's system of secularism (French:
laïcité
(; 'secularism') is the constitutional principle of secularism in France. Article 1 of the French Constitution is commonly interpreted as the separation of civil society and religious society. It discourages religious involvement in governmen ...
).
Political career
First steps in politics: 1982–2002
In Bayrou's youth, he was active in nonviolent movements and followed
Gandhi
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (2October 186930January 1948) was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalist, and political ethicist who employed nonviolent resistance to lead the successful campaign for India's independence from British ...
disciple,
Lanza del Vasto.
Bayrou, a member of the
Centre of Social Democrats (CDS), the Christian-democratic wing of the
Union for French Democracy
The Union for French Democracy ( ; UDF) was a centre-right political party in France. The UDF was founded in 1978 as an electoral alliance to support President Valéry Giscard d'Estaing in order to counterbalance the Gaullist preponderance over ...
(UDF) confederation, was elected to the General Council of the
Pyrénées-Atlantiques
Pyrénées-Atlantiques (; Gascon language, Gascon Occitan language, Occitan: ''Pirenèus Atlantics''; ) is a Departments of France, department located in the Regions of France, region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine in the southwest corner of metropolitan ...
department in 1982 in the canton of Pau-Sud, then the
French National Assembly
The National Assembly (, ) is the lower house of the Bicameralism, bicameral French Parliament under the French Fifth Republic, Fifth Republic, the upper house being the Senate (France), Senate (). The National Assembly's legislators are known ...
four years later. After the victory of the
RPR/UDF coalition in the
1993 legislative election, he became Education Minister in the cabinet led by
Édouard Balladur
Édouard Balladur (; born 2 May 1929) is a French politician who served as Prime Minister of France under François Mitterrand from 29 March 1993 to 17 May 1995. He unsuccessfully ran for president in the 1995 French presidential election, co ...
. In this post, he proposed a reform allowing local authorities to subsidise private schools, which caused massive protests and was quashed by the Constitutional Council.
In 1989, after poor results in both the
municipal elections and the
European Parliament elections
Elections to the European Parliament take place every five years by Universal suffrage, universal adult suffrage; with more than 400 million people eligible to vote, they are the second largest democratic elections in the world after Electio ...
, Bayrou and twelve other centre-right parliamentarians including
Philippe Séguin,
Michel Noir,
Alain Carignon,
Étienne Pinte,
Michel Barnier,
François Fillon,
Charles Millon,
Dominique Baudis,
François d'Aubert
François d'Aubert (born 31 October 1943, in Boulogne-Billancourt) is a French politician.
He is an auditor at the Court of Audit (France), Court of Audit. From 2002, he was minister delegate to research in Jean-Pierre Raffarin's government.
...
,
Philippe de Villiers and
Bernard Bosson demanded reform of the system at the RPR and the UDF, criticising the most prominent politicians of these parties including former president
Valéry Giscard d'Estaing
Valéry René Marie Georges Giscard d'Estaing (, ; ; 2 February 19262 December 2020), also known as simply Giscard or VGE, was a French politician who served as President of France from 1974 to 1981.
After serving as Ministry of the Economy ...
and Prime Minister
Jacques Chirac
Jacques René Chirac (, ; ; 29 November 193226 September 2019) was a French politician who served as President of France from 1995 to 2007. He was previously Prime Minister of France from 1974 to 1976 and 1986 to 1988, as well as Mayor of Pari ...
. They called for the formation of a new right-wing party to unite the UDF and the RPR into a single entity. Ideological differences between members of this group led to members leaving, though d'Estaing endorsed Bayrou to become UDF general secretary in 1991.
Despite supporting Édouard Balladur's candidacy in the
1995 presidential election, Bayrou remained Education Minister following Jacques Chirac's election and the formation of a new government headed by
Alain Juppé
Alain Marie Juppé (; born 15 August 1945) is a French politician. A member of The Republicans, he was Prime Minister of France from 1995 to 1997 under President Jacques Chirac, during which period he faced major strikes that paralysed the c ...
. Following the majority for the
Plural Left in the
1997 legislative election, Bayrou returned to opposition and became president of the UDF in 1998, transforming it into a unified party rather than a union of smaller parties.
Positioning of the UDF as a centrist party: 2002–2007
In 2002 François Bayrou rejected proposals to merge the UDF with the
Rally for the Republic
The Rally for the Republic ( ; RPR ) was a Gaullist and conservative political party in France. Originating from the Union of Democrats for the Republic (UDR), it was founded by Jacques Chirac in 1976 and presented itself as the heir of Gaul ...
(RPR), into a new entity that later became the
Union for a Popular Movement
The Union for a Popular Movement ( ; UMP ) was a Liberal conservatism, liberal-conservative List of political parties in France, political party in France, largely inspired by the Gaullism, Gaullist tradition. During its existence, the UMP was o ...
(UMP). As a result, many UDF members left to join the UMP.
Bayrou was increasingly critical of the direction taken by the UMP-led government, which he described as out of touch with the average Frenchman. He denounced the ''de facto''
two-party system
A two-party system is a political party system in which two major political parties consistently dominate the political landscape. At any point in time, one of the two parties typically holds a majority in the legislature and is usually referr ...
, in which the
Socialist Party and the RPR (later UMP) alternate. Instead, Bayrou called for a
pluralist system in which other parties would also contribute.
On 16 May 2006, Bayrou supported a
motion of no confidence
A motion or vote of no confidence (or the inverse, a motion or vote of confidence) is a motion and corresponding vote thereon in a deliberative assembly (usually a legislative body) as to whether an officer (typically an executive) is deemed fi ...
sponsored by Socialist deputies calling for the resignation of Prime Minister
Dominique de Villepin
Dominique Marie François René Galouzeau de Villepin (; born 14 November 1953) is a French politician who served as Prime Minister of France from 31 May 2005 to 17 May 2007 under President Jacques Chirac.
In his career working at the Ministry ...
's government following the
Clearstream affair. As de Villepin's UMP had an absolute majority in the National Assembly, the motion failed. Following Bayrou's support for this measure, France's television authority classified him as a member of the parliamentary opposition for timing purposes. However, after Bayrou protested, he was classified as a member of neither the majority nor the opposition.
Second presidential campaign: 2007
Bayrou
contested the presidency again in 2007. Most commentators had expected the election to be fought primarily between
Nicolas Sarkozy
Nicolas Paul Stéphane Sarközy de Nagy-Bocsa ( ; ; born 28 January 1955) is a French politician who served as President of France from 2007 to 2012. In 2021, he was found guilty of having tried to bribe a judge in 2014 to obtain information ...
and
Ségolène Royal
Ségolène Royal (; born Marie-Ségolène Royal; 22 September 1953) is a French politician who took part in the 2007 French presidential election, losing to Nicolas Sarkozy in the second round. She was the first woman in France's history to r ...
of the
Parti Socialiste. However, Bayrou's increasing support in polls in February complicated the "Sarko-Ségo" scenario, and led to speculation that the Parti Socialiste candidate would fail to progress to the second round for a second consecutive election, following the defeat of former Prime Minister
Lionel Jospin
Lionel Robert Jospin (; born 12 July 1937) is a French politician who served as Prime Minister of France from 1997 to 2002.
Jospin was First Secretary of the French Socialist Party, First Secretary of the Socialist Party from 1995 to 1997 and th ...
in 2002 by
National Front leader
Jean Marie Le Pen. Ultimately, Bayrou finished in third place in the election with 18.57% of the vote (6,820,119 votes), behind Sarkozy and Royal, the best performance by the UDF in a presidential election since 1981. Bayrou declared that he could not endorse either Sarkozy or Royal in the second round, although he indicated that Sarkozy was the worse of the two.
Foundation of the Democratic Movement: 2007–2012
After the 2007 election, Bayrou intended to form a new centrist party, the
Democratic Movement (MoDem). The majority of UDF politicians did not follow him, and instead formed a rival party, the
New Centre, which pledged to support an alliance with the UMP. However, most of the UDF's grassroots membership remained with Bayrou and joined MoDem. In the subsequent
legislative elections in June 2007, MoDem came third with 7.6% of the vote. Although an increase on the UDF share of the poll of 4.9% in the
2002 elections, MoDem won only four seats, including Bayrou's own seat. The other parliamentarians elected on the party's list were
Jean Lassalle,
Thierry Benoit (who has since left the party, to join the New Centre) and
Abdoulatifou Aly. The establishment of MoDem led to the formal dismantling of the UDF alliance on 30 November.
Third presidential election: 2012

On 18 August 2011, Bayrou released a book, ''2012. Etat d'urgence'', in which he discussed how and why the
2008 financial crisis
The 2008 financial crisis, also known as the global financial crisis (GFC), was a major worldwide financial crisis centered in the United States. The causes of the 2008 crisis included excessive speculation on housing values by both homeowners ...
happened, and outlined the top priorities of his next presidential program: production and education.
François Bayrou confirmed his candidacy for the
2012 presidential election on 25 November 2011, in an interview with journalist
Laurence Ferrari on her show ''Parole Directe'' on
TF1
TF1 (; standing for ''Télévision Française 1'') is a French commercial television network owned by TF1 Group, controlled by the Bouygues conglomerate. TF1's average market share of 24% makes it the most popular domestic network.
TF1 is part ...
.
His supporters included:
*
Jean Arthuis, president of the
Centrist Alliance
The Centrist Alliance () (AC) is a centrist political party in France.
It was founded in June 2009 by Jean Arthuis, a former member of the Union for French Democracy (UDF) and currently Member of European Parliament, where he also serves as chai ...
, president of the Senate Finance Committee (2002–2011)
*
Bernard Bosson,
Mayor
In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...
of
Annecy
Annecy ( , ; , also ) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of the Haute-Savoie Departments of France, department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Regions of France, regi ...
(1977–2007), member of the
National Assembly of France
The National Assembly (, ) is the lower house of the Bicameralism, bicameral French Parliament under the French Fifth Republic, Fifth Republic, the upper house being the Senate (France), Senate (). The National Assembly's legislators are known ...
for
Haute-Savoie
Haute-Savoie () is a Departments of France, department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Regions of France, region of Southeastern France, bordering both Switzerland and Italy. Its Prefectures in France, prefecture is Annecy. To the north is Lake Gene ...
(1986–2007)
*
Pierre Albertini,
Mayor
In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...
of
Rouen
Rouen (, ; or ) is a city on the River Seine, in northwestern France. It is in the prefecture of Regions of France, region of Normandy (administrative region), Normandy and the Departments of France, department of Seine-Maritime. Formerly one ...
*
Anne-Marie Idrac, Secretary of State for International Trade under
Nicolas Sarkozy
Nicolas Paul Stéphane Sarközy de Nagy-Bocsa ( ; ; born 28 January 1955) is a French politician who served as President of France from 2007 to 2012. In 2021, he was found guilty of having tried to bribe a judge in 2014 to obtain information ...
(2008–2010)
*
Alain Lambert, Budget Minister (2002–2004)
*
Daniel Garrigue, member of the
National Assembly of France
The National Assembly (, ) is the lower house of the Bicameralism, bicameral French Parliament under the French Fifth Republic, Fifth Republic, the upper house being the Senate (France), Senate (). The National Assembly's legislators are known ...
for
Dordogne
Dordogne ( , or ; ; ) is a large rural departments of France, department in south west France, with its Prefectures in France, prefecture in Périgueux. Located in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region roughly half-way between the Loire Valley and ...
and former press secretary for
Dominique de Villepin
Dominique Marie François René Galouzeau de Villepin (; born 14 November 1953) is a French politician who served as Prime Minister of France from 31 May 2005 to 17 May 2007 under President Jacques Chirac.
In his career working at the Ministry ...
*
Jean-François Kahn, author and former director of the newspaper ''
Marianne
Marianne () has been the national personification of the French Republic since the French Revolution, as a personification of liberty, equality, fraternity and reason, as well as a portrayal of the Goddess of Liberty.
Marianne is displayed i ...
''
Bayrou was eliminated in the first round, receiving around half of his vote share from 2007; he endorsed Socialist
François Hollande
François Gérard Georges Nicolas Hollande (; born 12 August 1954) is a French politician who served as President of France from 2012 to 2017. Before his presidency, he was First Secretary of the Socialist Party (France), First Secretary of th ...
in the runoff.
2017 presidential election
On 22 February 2017, Bayrou stated that he would not contest the
2017 presidential election, instead endorsing the centrist candidate
Emmanuel Macron
Emmanuel Jean-Michel Frédéric Macron (; born 21 December 1977) is a French politician who has served as President of France and Co-Prince of Andorra since 2017. He was Ministry of Economy and Finance (France), Minister of Economics, Industr ...
of
En Marche!
Renaissance (RE) is a List of political parties in France, political party in France that is typically described as liberalism, liberal and centrist or centre-right. The party was originally known as (EM) and later (, LREM, LaREM or REM), be ...
.
[Kim Willsher]
French elections: Emmanuel Macron and François Bayrou form alliance
, ''The Guardian'' (22 February 2017). The alliance surprised French political pundits and rival candidates.
Part of the agreement was Macron's commitment to support a clean government law proposed by Bayrou.
Bayrou said that France was "at extreme risk", requiring an "exceptional response",
adding that the alliance did not mean that MoDem would be subsumed by En Marche!
Minister of Justice (2017)
On 17 May 2017, Bayrou was appointed as
Minister of Justice
A justice ministry, ministry of justice, or department of justice, is a ministry or other government agency in charge of the administration of justice. The ministry or department is often headed by a minister of justice (minister for justice in a ...
in the
first Philippe government.
''
Le Canard enchaîné'' published information that Democratic Movement politician
Marielle de Sarnez
Marielle de Sarnez (; 27 March 195113 January 2021) was a French politician who served as Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs (France), Secretary of State for European Affairs under Prime Minister of France, Prime Minister Édouard Philippe. ...
had been paid for work she had not actually done, embroiling Bayrou in a scandal about fictitious jobs. France Info later reported that MoDem had "over a dozen" fictitious jobs in the
European Parliament
The European Parliament (EP) is one of the two legislative bodies of the European Union and one of its seven institutions. Together with the Council of the European Union (known as the Council and informally as the Council of Ministers), it ...
.
Bayrou resigned several days before the
2017 legislative election, only 35 days after he had taken the post. He was found not guilty of those accusations in February 2024.
Later career
In September 2020, Bayrou was appointed as high commissioner for planification by Prime minister
Jean Castex
Jean Castex (; born 25 June 1965) is a French politician who served as Prime Minister of France from 3 July 2020 to 16 May 2022. He was a member of The Republicans (LR) until 2020. Castex served for twelve years as mayor of the small town of ...
.
In February 2022, Bayrou created what he calls a "sponsorship bank", joined by a few hundred local officials, willing to give their signatures to candidates for the
presidential election struggling to obtain them, even if they represent a large part of the public according to opinion polls,
[Tassilo Hummel (27 February 2022)]
Macron ally offers help to far-right presidential candidate Le Pen
''Reuters
Reuters ( ) is a news agency owned by Thomson Reuters. It employs around 2,500 journalists and 600 photojournalists in about 200 locations worldwide writing in 16 languages. Reuters is one of the largest news agencies in the world.
The agency ...
''. including far-right candidate
Marine Le Pen
Marion Anne Perrine "Marine" Le Pen (; born 5 August 1968) is a French lawyer and politician of the far-right National Rally, National Rally party (RN). She served as the party's president from 2011 to 2021, and ran for the French presidency in ...
.
Following the appointment of
Gabriel Attal
Gabriel Nissim Attal de Couriss (; born 16 March 1989) is a French politician who was the prime minister of France from January to September 2024. He was the youngest and the first openly Gay man, gay prime minister in French history. A member ...
as
Prime Minister
A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...
in January 2024, Bayrou stated that he would not be joining the government; he had been widely expected to return to the cabinet after he was acquitted of fraud charges shortly before.
Prime Minister (since 2024)
On , following the motion of
no confidence that ended
Michel Barnier's
government
A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a State (polity), state.
In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive (government), execu ...
, Bayrou was appointed as
Prime Minister
A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...
by Emmanuel Macron. The morning of the nomination, Macron reportedly informed Bayrou that he had decided against nominating him, only to revise his position when a furious Bayrou threatened to withdraw his support for the government. Despite his nomination, Bayrou has pledged to remain in office as Mayor of Pau, similarly to
Jacques Chirac
Jacques René Chirac (, ; ; 29 November 193226 September 2019) was a French politician who served as President of France from 1995 to 2007. He was previously Prime Minister of France from 1974 to 1976 and 1986 to 1988, as well as Mayor of Pari ...
, who served simultaneously as Prime Minister and
Mayor of Paris
The mayor of Paris (, ) is the Chief executive officer, chief executive of Paris, the capital and largest city in France.
The officeholder is responsible for the administration and management of the city, submits proposals and recommendations to ...
from 1986 to 1988. Less than a week after his nomination, he faced criticism after flying to Pau on a presidential
Falcon 7X jet to attend a session of the municipal council, rather than visiting
Mayotte
Mayotte ( ; , ; , ; , ), officially the Department of Mayotte (), is an Overseas France, overseas Overseas departments and regions of France, department and region and single territorial collectivity of France. It is one of the Overseas departm ...
, which had been heavily affected by
Cyclone Chido. Bayrou's government was finalized on 23 December, maintaining the goal Bayrou had set of appointing his ministers before Christmas. On 30 December 2024, Bayrou visited Mayotte with several government members and announced several emergency measures to rebuild the islands' infrastructures and to resolve the
local crisis. On 3 February 2025, Bayrou passed his government's budget for the year after bypassing a vote in the
National Assembly
In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the repr ...
through special
constitutional powers. This led to two unsuccessful no-confidence motions being launched against him on 5 February and 10 February.
Political views

Bayrou has been a vocal campaigner on a variety of issues, including reform of the political process,
civil liberties
Civil liberties are guarantees and freedoms that governments commit not to abridge, either by constitution, legislation, or judicial interpretation, without due process. Though the scope of the term differs between countries, civil liberties of ...
, and
free software
Free software, libre software, libreware sometimes known as freedom-respecting software is computer software distributed open-source license, under terms that allow users to run the software for any purpose as well as to study, change, distribut ...
(see
DADVSI). During the 2007 presidential election campaign he described the
European Union
The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...
as "the most beautiful construction of all humanity". He called for France to play a greater role in the
European Union
The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...
's affairs, and supports the ratification of a
European Constitution
The Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe (TCE; commonly referred to as the European Constitution or as the Constitutional Treaty) was an unratified international treaty intended to create a consolidated constitution for the European ...
, in a more concise and readable form than the one
voted down by the French electorate in 2005.
In an interview with ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' in 2007, Bayrou said: "I am a democrat, I am a
Clintonian, I am a man of the '
third way
The Third Way is a predominantly centrist political position that attempts to reconcile centre-right and centre-left politics by advocating a varying synthesis of Right-wing economics, right-wing economic and Left-wing politics, left-wing so ...
'".
[Sciolino, Elaine. "A 'Neither/Nor' Candidate for President Alters the French Political Landscape", ''The New York Times'' (8 March 2007)] He positioned himself as a centrist, although he has historic ties to the right. His platform emphasises job creation, improvement of educational standards, improved conditions in the troubled suburbs, reduced government spending, a balanced budget and a stronger European Union, with France as its ''de facto'' leader. He has also criticized China's protection of the
Sudanese government from
UN Security Council
The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN) and is charged with ensuring international peace and security, recommending the admission of new UN members to the General Assembly, an ...
sanctions. Bayrou was highly critical of the
American economic model under George Bush and of the unregulated free market in general. He described the United States economic model as a "survival of the fittest" system, where it was often stated that money was people's only motivation, where higher education was too expensive, and where the middle class was shrinking.
Bayrou criticized the Iraq war, saying it was "the cause of chaos" in the region.

He criticized Nicolas Sarkozy's foreign policy, including the invitation of Libyan leader
Muammar Gaddafi
Muammar Muhammad Abu Minyar al-Gaddafi (20 October 2011) was a Libyan military officer, revolutionary, politician and political theorist who ruled Libya from 1969 until Killing of Muammar Gaddafi, his assassination by Libyan Anti-Gaddafi ...
for a week-long state visit to France and the signing of military cooperation agreements with Libya.
In 2009, he criticized statements by
Pope Benedict XVI
Pope BenedictXVI (born Joseph Alois Ratzinger; 16 April 1927 – 31 December 2022) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 19 April 2005 until his resignation on 28 February 2013. Benedict's election as p ...
claiming that condoms promote AIDS on a journey to Cameroon. Bayrou called the remarks "unacceptable", adding that "the primary responsibility, particularly of Christians, is the defence of life...This
fricais a continent in which tens of millions of women and men are dying."
He called for France to boycott the
2008 Summer Olympics
The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and officially branded as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes fro ...
, due to the
poor human rights record in China and
political unrest in Tibet. During a rally in Paris on 21 March he said that "if this drama does not stop, France would do itself credit by not coming to the Olympic Games", criticising China's opposition to sanctions against
Sudan
Sudan, officially the Republic of the Sudan, is a country in Northeast Africa. It borders the Central African Republic to the southwest, Chad to the west, Libya to the northwest, Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the east, Eritrea and Ethiopi ...
over its involvement in the humanitarian crisis in
Darfur
Darfur ( ; ) is a region of western Sudan. ''Dār'' is an Arabic word meaning "home f – the region was named Dardaju () while ruled by the Daju, who migrated from Meroë , and it was renamed Dartunjur () when the Tunjur ruled the area. ...
.
Bayrou is fluent in
Béarnese and often expresses his support for regionalism.
Bétharram scandal and François Bayrou's involvement
The Bétharram scandal refers to a case of child sexual abuse committed within the Catholic congregation of the
Bétharram Fathers, as revealed by journalistic investigations. This Catholic congregation is in full communion with Rome and has followed all of the liberal reforms of the clergy. The abuses spanned several decades and involved clergy members operating in various schools and shelters linked to the institution. François Bayrou is accused of deliberately ignoring reports of child abuse, defending an institution accused of systemic violence, and helping to obstruct the work of whistleblowers and journalists.
In 2025 Bayrou's daughter Hélène Perlant said that a senior priest at Notre-Dame de Bétharram had beaten her publicly in the 1980s when she was 14, but that she had not told Bayrou, adding "Bétharram was organised like a sect or a totalitarian regime putting psychological pressure on pupils and teachers so they stayed silent." Two hundred legal complaints have been filed since February 2024 alleging physical or sexual abuse by priests and staff at Bétharram from 1957 to 2004, including an allegation of group rape committed by two priests. Some complaints led to charges; others have passed the
time limit for prosecution.
References
Bibliography
Bayrou is the sole author unless other names are mentioned.
* , subject(s): Enseignement—Réforme—France—1970–, Éducation et État—France—1970–.
* le Grand livre du mois 1994, subject(s): Henri IV (roi de France ; 1553–1610) – Biographies, France—1589–1610 (Henri IV).
*
* , preface by François Bayrou.
* , le Grand livre du mois 1996, subject(s): Politique et éducation—France—1990–, France—Conditions sociales—1981–.
*
* , series: J'ai lu 4183.
*
* , preface by François Bayrou.
*
*
* , subject(s): Henri IV (roi de France ; 1553–1610 ) – Ouvrages pour la jeunesse.
*
* , le Grand livre du mois 1999.
*
* , series: Le livre de poche 14779.
* , "témoignages de François Bayrou et de Dominique Baudis", series: Politiques & chrétiens 16.
* , series: L'Info. Citoyenne.
*
*
*
*
* ''Abus de pouvoir'',
aris Aris or ARIS may refer to:
People
* Aris (surname)
Given name
* Aris Alexandrou, Greek writer
* Aris Brimanis, ice hockey player
* Aris Christofellis, Greek male soprano
* Aris Gavelas, Greek sprinter
* Aris Konstantinidis, Greek architect
* ...
Plon, 2009
* ''2012, Etat d'urgence'',
aris Aris or ARIS may refer to:
People
* Aris (surname)
Given name
* Aris Alexandrou, Greek writer
* Aris Brimanis, ice hockey player
* Aris Christofellis, Greek male soprano
* Aris Gavelas, Greek sprinter
* Aris Konstantinidis, Greek architect
* ...
Plon, 2011
External links
*
bayrou.fr – Campaign Website*
lesdemocrates.fr – Website of Bayrou's party*
france-democrate.fr – Website on the Democratic Movement*
bayrou.fr – Video Channel on YouTube*
Video François Bayrou (not linked to François Bayrou)
*
François Bayrou Blog(not linked to François Bayrou)
*
Site du Mouvement Democrate en Grande-Bretagne(Website of Bayrou's party in the UK and Ireland)
*
Blog du Mouvement Democrate en Amerique du Nord – Etats-Unis et Canada (Website of Bayrou's party in North America)
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, -
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Bayrou, Francois
1951 births
Living people
Candidates in the 2002 French presidential election
Candidates in the 2007 French presidential election
Candidates in the 2012 French presidential election
Centre of Social Democrats politicians
Democratic Force (France) politicians
Union for French Democracy politicians
Democratic Movement (France) politicians
Deputies of the 8th National Assembly of the French Fifth Republic
Deputies of the 9th National Assembly of the French Fifth Republic
Deputies of the 10th National Assembly of the French Fifth Republic
Deputies of the 11th National Assembly of the French Fifth Republic
Deputies of the 12th National Assembly of the French Fifth Republic
Deputies of the 13th National Assembly of the French Fifth Republic
European Democratic Party
Ministers of justice of France
Ministers of national education of France
French Roman Catholics
Gandhians
Mayors of places in Nouvelle-Aquitaine
People from Pau, Pyrénées-Atlantiques
Politicians from Nouvelle-Aquitaine
State ministers of France
Departmental councillors (France)
Presidents of French departments
French people of Irish descent
Prime ministers of France