Storm clouds have hovered over French politics for some time now but it was in the summer of last year that the thunder really began to roll.

In July, early parliamentary elections resulted in an unclear outcome because no single party won a clear majority. Three large political blocs eventually entered parliament in Paris, and the new government, appointed by French President Emmanuel Macron, was forced to govern without a majority to call its own.

This is how, in December, a vote of no confidence after motions were tabled by opposition parties on the left and far right, brought down Prime Minister Michel Barnier after he pushed through budget measures without parliamentary approval. Now his successor, Francois Bayrou, has inherited the difficult task of governing over a divided society and fragmented political landscape. Bayrou is head of the centrist Democratic Movement, known as MoDem, which is an important part of Macron's centrist alliance.

Still, Bayrou took that in his stride during his inauguration speech to French parliament on Tuesday afternoon. "84% of French people think that the government won't make it through the year," he said with a smile. "I sometimes even wonder where the other 16% get their optimism from."