The face of the new Prime Minister is everywhere this Sunday, September 8. While Michel Barnier confides in Sunday Journal that “this is the moment when all those who want France to move forward must roll up their sleeves”, the former European deputy calls for a “culture of dynamic compromise”. For its part, the National Rally is waiting to see, assuring that it will not participate in the “blockage” or the “democratic disorder”.
Key information to remember
⇒ Marine Le Pen calls for a referendum on priority issues
⇒ The RN will not participate in “institutional disorder” or “blockage”
⇒ Michel Barnier promises a “culture of dynamic compromise”
Marine Le Pen calls for a referendum on priority issues
The leader of the National Rally (RN) deputies called on the president this Sunday to use a referendum to give the people a voice on priority issues and defuse the blockages in the Assembly. “Emmanuel Macron himself, in the chaos he has created, has levers to make our democracy live, starting with the referendum, which we have completely forgotten,” declared Marine Le Pen during her back-to-school speech in her stronghold of Hénin-Beaumont (Pas-de-Calais). “We have suffered too much since 2017 from the proliferation of major debates, citizens’ conventions, in short from all these gadgets used to mimic direct democracy without ever implementing it,” she mocked.
The RN “will unreservedly support any approach aimed at giving the people the power to decide directly”, because “this will make it possible to defuse as much as possible the blockages that will inevitably arise in the National Assembly and also to give back to the French people after several decades of referendum parsimony and after the democratic scandal […] of the referendum flouted in 2005, the opportunity to address priority issues,” she added. She cites purchasing power, immigration, security, health, among the burning issues.
The RN will not participate in “institutional disorder” or “blockage”
The leaders of the National Rally, Jordan Bardella and Marine Le Pen, have assured that they do not want to participate in “institutional disorder” or in “blockage” by immediately overthrowing Michel Barnier’s future government. “I simply hope that the National Rally does not participate, unlike the left, in institutional disorder and democratic chaos,” said the leader of the RN, Jordan Bardella, on TF1 on Saturday evening.
The new Prime Minister, “I will judge him on the evidence, which does not imply that there will be no censorship during his action,” he said. “If, on the other hand, he is the new front man for Macronism and he continues the policy that was conducted by Emmanuel Macron and which was very severely sanctioned at the ballot box last July, then this government will fall,” he threatened.
The leader of the RN deputies, Marine Le Pen, also affirmed that her “wish is not to create a blockage”, in an interview with The Sunday Tribune. She particularly pointed out the fact that “Michel Barnier seems to have the same observation on immigration as we do”, recalling the positions of the new Prime Minister when he took part in the primary of his party Les Républicains in 2021. “He is at least aware that immigration is a major problem”, she congratulated herself. “Now, we expect action from him”, she urged the weekly.
The Prime Minister continues his consultations at Matignon
Michel Barnier continues to meet with the various political forces and their representatives. On Saturday, he spoke with Elisabeth Borne before having lunch at the Assembly with Yaël Braun-Pivet. This Sunday, September 8, he is receiving representatives from Horizons, including another former Prime Minister, Edouard Philippe.
Michel Barnier promises a “culture of dynamic compromise”
A single mission: to reassure. The new Prime Minister gave an interview to the Sunday Tribune in which he promises to promote a “culture of dynamic compromise, where everyone keeps their identity”. Same story At Sunday newspaper (JDD)controlled by billionaire Vincent Bolloré. “This is the moment when all those who want France to work must roll up their sleeves. I will listen to everyone,” he said. In the ultra-conservative weekly, Michel Barnier intends to embody “a hope for France […] raise the horizon, individually for each person, collectively for France. When we raise the horizon, we do not necessarily eliminate all the problems but we elevate ourselves, we put them into perspective and in order.”
Jérôme Fournel, pillar of Bercy, appointed chief of staff of Michel Barnier
Michel Barnier has decided, and “it is his decision” insists his entourage, to appoint as chief of staff Jérôme Fournel, current chief of staff of Bruno Le Maire, Minister of the Economy who has resigned. Jérôme Fournel should tackle “two priorities”: the draft budget for 2025 which must be presented to the National Assembly on October 1, and the negotiation with Brussels, while France is placed in excessive deficit procedure.
He will be assisted by two deputies, one in charge of the economy and “supply policy”, and the other in charge of social affairs and public services. The interministerial delegate prefect for the Olympic Games, Michel Cadot, once mentioned for the management of the cabinet, will also join the cabinet. He will be in charge of sovereign issues.
French people mostly satisfied with Michel Barnier’s appointment, according to a poll
The French are mostly satisfied with the appointment of Michel Barnier to Matignon, but do not predict that he will last long in this post, according to an Ifop poll for the Sunday Journale. According to this study, 52% of respondents say they are satisfied with the appointment of the former European Commissioner as head of government, after almost two months of waiting following the early legislative elections. A result similar to that of his predecessor, Gabriel Attal, when he took office (53%), and higher than that of Élisabeth Borne (47%).
The new Prime Minister, from the right, is first seen as competent (62% of those surveyed), open to dialogue (61%) and likeable (60%). He obtains his best scores on these image traits with supporters of the Macronist camp, or LR. But in a National Assembly that is fragmented as never before, 74% of those surveyed think that he will be quickly overthrown by a motion of censure.
Mobilizations against Macron’s “coup de force”: 110,000 demonstrators in France
Nearly 110,000 people demonstrated in France on Saturday, including 26,000 in Paris, at the call of La France Insoumise to denounce “Macron’s coup de force”, the Interior Ministry said. Some 150 demonstrations were planned throughout France, according to the organizers, who claimed 300,000 demonstrators in France and 160,000 in Paris.