Will François Bayrou be appointed to the government? Negotiations with the president and the prime minister seem to be getting bogged down.
The announcement of the second part of the reshuffle is still awaited. Almost a month after the appointment of Gabriel Attal to Matignon, the latter is still working with Emmanuel Macron on the composition of the new team. One case, in particular, would cause the blockage, according to Politico : that of François Bayrou. The mayor of Pau, acquitted by the courts on Monday February 5, is determined to put his two cents into this reshuffle. Whether the Prime Minister likes it or not.
François Bayrou is notably expected to take over the National Education portfolio from Amélie Oudéa-Castéra. But according to Politico, “the executive couple are feeling their way” and are still looking for “the best profile to act”. Emmanuel Macron would even have another name in mind. Le Figaro for his part, evokes the creation of a “Ministry of State Reform and Simplification” for Bayrou. A hypothesis that does not convince many people, however: “Bayrou is not stupid enough to confuse the thermometer and the fever,” says a regular at the Elysée to Politico.
A meeting between Attal and Bayrou this Wednesday
The president of the MoDem intends to take advantage of his acquittal to plead for the return of the MoDem to the government. Which he did not fail to do during his interview with Macron on Monday at the Elysée. A meeting with Attal was also announced for this Wednesday, before its holding was called into doubt. Sign of dissension between the two men? It was ultimately François Bayrou himself who confirmed to Politico that he would meet the Prime Minister. The High Commissioner for Planning, who had tried to oppose Attal’s appointment to Matignon, no longer wants to be stepped on.
Gabriel Attal, whose entourage said a few days ago were reluctant to appoint Bayrou to a ministry, seems to have revised his copy. “I have every interest in having heavyweights in the team,” he assured World Tuesday, adding: “Those who consider that they become weaker when they have strong people around them are wrong. Politics is about additions, not subtractions.”