France's Macron names centrist ally Bayrou as PM

Veteran centrist figure, Francois Bayrou, became France's fourth prime minister in a year, on Friday, after President Emmanuel Macron named his longtime ally as the new head of government.

The announcement came in a one-sentence statement from the Elysee Palace after Macron missed his own deadline for naming a new premier. The two met for nearly two hours earlier on Friday.

Bayrou, 73, replaces conservative heavyweight Michel Barnier, who was ousted last week after far-right leader Marine Le Pen joined the left in a censure motion over a budget dispute.

Bayrou could face the same fate as Barnier, as France's legislature remains divided into three blocs - a left-wing alliance, centrists and conservatives, and the far right - that do not converge on policy or political lines.

For now, Bayrou appears to have the tacit support of Le Pen's party, which is the largest in parliament and thus holds outsize leverage.