The announcement marks the end of more than two months of political uncertainty in the EU member state.
French President Emmanuel Macron has named a new government, hoping to end 11 weeks of political uncertainty after an inconclusive parliamentary election resulted in a hung parliament.
Conservative Prime Minister Michel Barnier on Saturday formed a government whose first major task will be to present a budget plan for 2025 that addresses France's financial situation, which the prime minister described this week as “very serious.”
The 38-member cabinet includes ministers from Macron's centrist alliance and the conservative Republicans (LR) party.
The difficult task of presenting a budget plan to parliament next month falls to Antoine Armand, 33, the new finance minister. He previously served as chairman of parliament's economic affairs committee.
Jean-Noel Barrot is the new Minister for Foreign Affairs and brings extensive experience in managing complex international issues, particularly within the framework of the European Union.
Sébastien Lecornu, a close ally of Macron, retains his post as defence minister. The interior minister's post goes to Bruno Retailleau, a staunch conservative who will now deal with critical domestic issues such as national security, immigration and law enforcement.
Barnier's ability to govern effectively is already under scrutiny, and his left-wing political opponents have vowed to challenge him at every turn. Jean-Luc Melenchon's far-left party, Unbending France, held protests against his government on Saturday.
Marine Le Pen's far-right National Rally party said it would keep a close eye on the government and had enough votes in parliament to topple it, but expressed willingness to cooperate on key budget issues.
In July elections, a left-wing bloc called the New Popular Front (NFP) won the majority of parliamentary seats, but not enough to secure an overall majority.
Macron argued that the left would not be able to muster enough support to form a government that would not be immediately overthrown in parliament. Instead, he turned to Barnier, 73, to lead a government that would rely primarily on parliamentary support from conservative Republicans and centrist groups, while relying on a neutral stance from the far right.
Even before Saturday's announcement, thousands of left-wing people took to the streets in the capital Paris and the southern port city of Marseille to protest against the formation of a government they say does not reflect the outcome of parliamentary elections.
