His announcement came in the midst of a period of uncertainty over the appointment of a new Prime Minister. On the evening of Tuesday, September 3, he, Edouard Philippe, the former tenant of Matignon, made his candidacy for the next presidential election official, in an interview with the weekly The Point.
Since then, Emmanuel Macron has chosen Michel Barnier to form a new government and Edouard Philippe assured the newspaper Paris Normandythat his announcement was “not at all part of an attempt to destabilize the President of the Republic.”
The leader of the Horizons party claims to have “too much respect for the institutions and I think that the moment is too dangerous for anyone to try to do that”. He also considered that “it is essential for the institutions that he completes his mandate”, in response to those who attribute to him the intention of betting on a possible impediment of Emmanuel Macron, due to political instability, before the deadline of 2027.
“Help” Michel Barnier
Edouard Philippe, who is due to meet the new Prime Minister this Sunday at Matignon, also welcomed the choice of this nomination. Michel Barnier is “methodical, solid, experienced and pro-European […]”He knows what a coalition is and is not sectarian,” he added, repeating that he would do what he could “to help him.”
Mayor of Le Havre since 2010, with a break from 2017 to 2020 during his time at Matignon, Edouard Philippe has also indicated that he will seek re-election in 2026. In the meantime, he hopes to receive Emmanuel Macron next Thursday for the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the Normandy port, an episode marked by terrible bombings that destroyed a huge part of the city. “If the president comes, it will go very well, I guarantee it,” he assured you to deny the notorious coolness of their relations.