It was just past 5:00 pm on Friday, December 13, when France's new prime minister, François Bayrou, walked alone across the courtyard of the Hôtel de Matignon, the prime minister's official residence, one hand in his coat pocket. He had just returned from the funeral of his friend Jean-Pierre Rioux, historian and member of the Bayrou's MoDem party since its creation, who was buried earlier in the day at Saint-Jean de Montmartre church in Paris.

Michel Barnier, who had ceremoniously prepared the handover without knowing who would assume the role nor when, awaited Bayrou in the cold. In his brief farewell speech, Barnier stated: "I knew from day one, on September 5, that my government's time was counted." The ex-prime minister, ousted by a vote of no confidence passed by an "unlikely alliance" of the Nouveau Front Populaire (NFP) left-wing alliance and the far-right Rassemblement National (RN), warned that "politics cannot be reduced to a game of maneuvering, to a kind of inner circle from which citizens are excluded," as he handed over the reins.

Bayrou, who first served in government over 30 years ago, during his four years as education minister (1993-1997), is now faced with what he described as "a Himalaya of difficulties."

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