Cannes Mayor David Lisnard could create a surprise and land at Matignon. His profile has what it takes to seduce the National Rally, ensuring Emmanuel Macron a government that will not be censored.
Consultations between Emmanuel Macron and the country’s various political forces are continuing, yet the head of state does not seem to have decided to appoint a new Prime Minister. While he wants a broad coalition of the Republican arc with a majority in the National Assembly, ranging from the Socialist Party (PS) to the Republicans (LR), Emmanuel Macron has another fundamental requirement: that the government be stable. And that is the problem.
In fact, the parties involved in the Republican arc established by the President of the Republic (excluding La France Insoumise and the National Rally) do not want this coalition. In short, they consider that the instability of the country, particularly since the dissolution of the National Assembly triggered by Emmanuel Macron, is in no way their fault. So, all of them are brandishing the threat of a motion of censure if the Prime Minister appointed does not suit them 100%. Bernard Cazeneuve? He would be censored by the RN, and perhaps even by the PS. Xavier Bertrand? Immediately censored by the RN, as indicated by Sébastien Chenu, Wednesday, September 3: “We will oppose Xavier Bertrand as a priority.” “He has no convictions,” Eric Ciotti even declared.
Avoid a motion of censure from the RN
Under these conditions, what credible option is there for Emmanuel Macron? Only one scenario seems to hold water: appoint a government that will not fall, even if it is slightly outside the grand social-liberal coalition that he wanted to put in place from the start. If the New Popular Front (NFP) is aiming to censor any profile that is not part of its political alliance, the solution for Emmanuel Macron could be to appoint a man, or a woman, to Matignon who does not trigger censorship from the RN. If this implicit support from the National Rally already appears to be a real setback for the President of the Republic, it could constitute his only credible option. Under these conditions, the profile of David Lisnard is a serious alternative.
David Lisnard ready to ‘turn the tables’ as Prime Minister
Mayor of Cannes (Alpes-Maritimes) since 2014 and president of the Association of Mayors of France (AMF) for almost three years, David Lisnard is considered an “RN-compatible” profile that would allow Emmanuel Macron to avoid a censorship of the Le Pen party and therefore, to ensure a certain stability. The Côte d’Azur mayor “welcomes the successes of Cannes, particularly on the financial and educational level”, but “does not hide his impatience with the national situation”, explains Le Figaro.
During his political comeback, at the Butte de Saint-Cassien, no later than last Friday, he did not fail to give a glowing assessment of the town he leads, describing Cannes as a “vigorous city”, where the debt is “decreasing”. “It is essential to free up the capacity for action of society and local authorities”, he declared in particular. So, would he be campaigning for Matignon? One thing is certain, the main person concerned said he was ready to “take initiatives” and “turn the tables”, while the country finds itself in a “political and institutional deadlock”. If the post of Prime Minister were offered to him? He said he was ready to accept the mission, but on condition of having the “possibility of acting”. His close friends, for their part, would like to see him replace Gabriel Attal: “It would be an opportunity. David never backs down”, one of them whispered to Le Figaro. The trend therefore seems to be gaining momentum, particularly since his meeting with Emmanuel Macron at the end of August.
An RN-compatible profile that would save Macron
In addition to his stated ambitions, David Lisnard also benefits from a profile that stands out on the right, particularly because of his position on immigration and a possible roadmap for the country. A position that could appeal to the National Rally and push Jordan Bardella, its president, not to file a motion of censure against him. Which could, at the same time, tip the balance in favor of David Lisnard for an appointment to Matignon, in the name of political stability.
David Lisnard, for example, proposes to divide legal immigration in France by eight. The mayor of Cannes believes that “quantity determines quality”, as explained in the columns of Nice Matin. In its official program “A project, a method”, published before the early legislative elections, the RN planned the “removal of all exemptions that prevent the expulsion of foreigners” and the “suspension of all regularizations of illegal immigrants by prefects”. Similar connections which could allow David Lisnard to obtain implicit support from the RN in the event of his appointment to Matignon.