It is one of the most exposed positions in the Barnier government as tensions build up in New Caledonia and Martinique: the Ministry of Overseas Territories is entrusted to François-Noël Buffet, a Republican senator experienced in difficult negotiations and viewed favorably by the presidential camp.
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He had been a member of the Senate for twenty years, becoming the chairman of its influential law commission in 2020. After repeatedly refusing the help offered by Emmanuel Macron and his camp, Francois-Noël Buffet has therefore agreed to enter the government with his long-standing party, Les Républicains.
If he is not a long-time specialist inOverseas” he knows the New Caledonian file well “, recognizes a socialist senator, who nevertheless specifies that ” he is not a tender “. François-Noël Buffet’s historical focus is rather on maintaining order and migration issues. Former Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin had also acknowledged having drawn extensively from a report by the senator to develop his asylum and immigration law.
” This could be taken as a provocation. “, admits another senator who knows him well, ” but he is an experienced negotiator who masters the state apparatus “He has another advantage,” whispers an elected official, “that of being part of the Freemason networks which are still influential in New Caledonia and the Antilles.
The fact remains that François-Noël Buffet will not have much room for maneuver, even if his ministry is fully operational, which is rare for the Overseas Territories file. He reports directly to the Prime Minister.
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