Francois Bayrou, one of few political heavyweights to have stood by French President Emmanuel Macron since he came to power in 2017, now faces his biggest challenge after finally being promoted to prime minister.
Bayrou, 73, heads the liberal Democratic Movement (MoDem) party which is allied to, but not part of, Macron's centrist force and has supported the president ever since his victorious 2017 election campaign.
