The Prime Minister could be appointed at midday this Thursday, September 5, according to Le Parisien. After yet another postponement due to the arrival of a new name in the running, Emmanuel Macron is close to making his decision and could appoint Michel Barnier to Matignon. But is the European Commissioner sure to resist censorship?
The essentials
- Will the new Prime Minister be appointed this Thursday, September 5? An announcement could be made at midday. Le Parisien even mentions a press release around 1 p.m.
- Michel Barnier, mentioned as a serious option since yesterday evening, is in the running to be appointed Prime Minister this Thursday. The European Commissioner spoke with Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday evening. He seems to have imposed himself against the options Bernard Cazeneuve and Xavier Bertrand who came up against the promise of censure by the RN.
- Michel Barnier has several advantages to convince Emmanuel Macron. He will not be a candidate in the next presidential election, is a loyal LR and should unsurprisingly be supported by the party’s bigwigs, and is not in competition with the RN in the region.
- Because the RN appears to be in a position to arbitrate the nomination of the Prime Minister by positioning itself for or against a motion of censure. Marine Le Pen has also set the conditions for her party’s support for the future tenant of Matignon: a rather political profile, who is firm on immigration, who works to establish proportional representation in the Assembly and who does not treat RN elected officials “like outcasts”.
Live
13:23 – Michel Barnier appointed Prime Minister
Finally the white smoke. The Elysée has just published a press release to announce the appointment of Michel Barnier as Prime Minister.
1:15 p.m. – Barnier leaves the Elysée after a meeting with Macron
Michel Barnier spoke with Emmanuel Macron this morning and has just left the Elysée Palace, reports AFP.
13:12 – Macron prefers the right to the left for Matignon
Emmanuel Macron wanted to appoint a Prime Minister who would be able to form a coalition ranging from the right of the LR to the left of the PS and the PCF, but he did not succeed. The head of state therefore studied options from the left and the right, but it is a name from the right, that of Michel Barnier, who would have his preference, according to the latest information. And the choice is rather clear, because Michel Barnier not being from the left should be censored by the forces of the NFP, but not immediately rejected by the RN. It would therefore be thanks to the support of the presidential camp, the right and the extreme right that Michel Barnier could remain at Matignon despite a motion of censure in the event of his appointment.
13:07 – No immediate censorship of Barnier by the RN
There would be no immediate censure of Michel Barnier, if the latter were appointed to Matignon, by the RN according to information from BFMTV. The far-right party would be waiting for the general policy speech of the future potential tenant of Matignon and would be attentive to the criteria he has set, namely the equal treatment of RN elected officials compared to other deputies, work on the introduction of proportional representation legislative and immigration and security policy, before deciding whether to censure the Prime Minister.
13:02 – The Michel Barnier hypothesis tested with Macronie
After having dinner with Michel Barnier on Wednesday evening, Emmanuel Macron tested the hypothesis of his nomination to Matignon with members of his camp on the morning of this Thursday according to BFMTV. The exchanges and the reception of the name of the former European Commissioner could have convinced the head of state to make his choice.
12:55 – Barnier’s nomination would be a “gigantic scam” for Ian Brossat
The hypothesis of Michel Barnier’s nomination as Prime Minister is not to the taste of the Communist Party. It would be a “gigantic scam” according to the PCF spokesman, Ian Brossat, questioned by BFMTVAnd the elected official added: “Barnier is Macron with a few more years, a few more centimetres and a few more white hairs. But from the point of view of the political line it is exactly the same thing.”
12:49 – Barnier independent or under Macron’s orders?
For the RN, while Michel Barnier seems on the verge of being named Prime Minister, “the question is whether[il] will be under the thumb of Emmanuel Macron” or “if he [sera] “independent” at the head of a government, explains RN MP Yoann Gillet on BFMTV. The fact remains that, according to the elected official, Michel Barnier “has no legitimacy through his political party” since there are only 47 LR MPs in the National Assembly, and therefore far from being in the majority.
12:41 – Michel Barnier “discreet” and “focused”
Michel Barnier, expected to be appointed to Matignon shortly, “is very focused” and “very discreet as he has been since the start of the consultations” on the formation of the next government, his entourage declared to BFMTV.
12:29 – An appointment and transfer of power in the afternoon?
The appointment of the Prime Minister could take place by midday according to The ParisianIf the announcement does take place, the transfer of power between Gabriel Attal and his successor, who could be Michel Barnier, could be organized in the afternoon according to the same newspaper which cites a message from Gabriel Attal to his close relations in which there is talk of a transfer of power at 4 p.m.
12:06 – A nomination planned for midday?
Michel Barnier and Emmanuel Macron had dinner together on Wednesday evening to discuss the appointment of the European Commissioner at Matignon, which could be made official at midday according to Le Parisien. A press release could, in principle, be published around 1 p.m., according to the newspaper.
12:00 – A future management government, more than a reform government
Whoever is appointed Prime Minister, they will be at the head of an executive that “will essentially be a management government and not a reform government” estimated the LR president of Ile-de-France, Valérie Pécresse, on France Inter. However, she believes that it is more the policy that will be conducted, with less latitude if it is a question of management rather than reform, than the person installed in Macron that will matter. She also indicates, as on behalf of LR, that “in principle, we would not censor a left-wing personality, provided that they do not call into question the pension reform”.
11:47 – Bernard Cazeneuve still “ready” for Matignon
The Bernard Cazeneuve hypothesis seems to be well ruled out since the former Prime Minister indicated that he had had no contact with the Elysée since his last exchange with Emmanuel Macron on Monday. The politician refuses to show disappointment and assures that he has not been “asking for anything” but is “ready to take responsibility [ses] responsibilities if we [lui] He said that he would have accepted Matignon “as a duty […] in a loyal manner with great self-denial and the desire to listen to all the political forces represented in Parliament” but adds that he is “expecting nothing other than a solution for the country”.
11:39 – For Cazeneuve, “the French want governance with more compromise and listening”
The legislative elections allowed the French to indicate what they want for the political future according to Bernard Cazeneuve who says he draws several lessons from the vote. The social democrat believes that the French expect “a new political direction for the country”, but above all “a different relationship between the president, the prime minister and parliament”. “They want governance with more compromise and listening. The French want a power that has a peaceful relationship with them” he added, inviting leaders to listen to voters.
11:32 – What Cazeneuve thinks about the appointment of the Prime Minister
Bernard Cazeneuve was one of the favorites for Matignon, but seems to be no longer. Questioned on the current situation by LCI, He considered that “the only comment should be dictated by the sense of general interest” and that “the only concern should be that of a Prime Minister who can resolve the many difficulties of the French” refusing to advance on the different hypotheses, including that of his own nomination. No word either on the Michel Barnier option, he was content to describe the European Commissioner as a man of “experience” with “qualities”.
11:26 – The three conditions for the Prime Minister to be supported by the RN
After making the chances of Xavier Bertrand, who was the favorite for Matignon until yesterday, to resist a motion of censure, the RN appears as a force to be convinced to find a Prime Minister who will not be overthrown by the Assembly. Emmanuel Macron must therefore, if the profile he chooses is not supported on the left, ensure the support of the extreme right and Marine Le Pen set three conditions regarding the profile of the future tenant of Matignon during an interview with the head of state on Tuesday evening reports The Parisian. In order not to be censored by the RN, at least not immediately, the Prime Minister will have to:
- respect RN elected officials and not treat them “like plague victims”
- commit to introducing proportional representation in legislative elections
- not to aggravate “the problem of immigration and insecurity” and not to raze “the working and modest classes in its budget”
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How soon will the new government be appointed?
After the “political truce” respected during the Olympic Games, the President of the Republic had set the course of mid-August for the appointment of a new Prime Minister and then the future government. But two months after the legislative elections and while the government of Gabriel Attal resigned on July 16, the date of the appointment of the Prime Minister has still not been set.
Given the composition of the National Assembly, the President of the Republic has set himself the task of finding a Prime Minister capable of gathering “the broadest and most stable majority possible”, but achieving an absolute majority of 289 deputies is proving impossible, unless there is a surprise coalition. The same goes for the ministers that the latter will then have to propose. Otherwise, the new government as a whole would be exposed to a motion of censure which, if voted for by more than half of the elected representatives, would lead to the overthrow of the ministerial team. It would therefore be necessary to start all over again.
What could be the profile of the future Prime Minister?
Clear elements are now emerging for the person who will take over from Gabriel Attal. The head of government will have to be “a consensual man or woman who pleases both the left and the right”, we can read in the columns of Le Monde. According to the Elysée, this personality will also have to give off “a scent of cohabitation”. This is an important clue about the composition of the new government and its political colour. Particularly after Emmanuel Macron’s refusal to see the NFP candidate, Lucie Castets, at Matignon.
Xavier Bertrand is one of the main names circulating for Matignon. The LR president of the Hauts-de-France region Xavier Bertrand, himself, is even supported by several figures from the center and the right. The President of the Republic is consulting on at least a second name for the post of Prime Minister, it is Bernard Cazeneuve. The former tenant of Matignon under François Hollande remains however much less publicized than Xavier Bertrand, and much more discreet about his new political aspirations. However, according to information from Le Parisien, the latter recently spoke with the head of state “whom he had already seen discreetly at the Elysée in the spring (well before the dissolution). A profile that could quite satisfy the consensual dimension sought by Emmanuel Macron to replace Gabriel Attal.