There is no time to confer one last time. Monday evening, France falls asleep when these two personalities have a nocturnal telephone conversation. Elisabeth Borne and Eric Ciotti discuss pension reform, a few hours before its official presentation. This duo hardly knew each other a few weeks ago, here they are in the middle of informal negotiations. The next day, the revelation of this very late exchange will arouse the amused whistles of LR deputies in a group meeting. Funny couple. No fear: we are here among professionals. But the right and the government have begun a subtle tango in recent days, a mixture of power struggles and common interests. At stake: the landing of the pension law, the mother of all reforms.
Sunday morning. Time for coffee and croissants for the last lie-in of the week. This January 8, several elected Les Républicains (LR) had to spit out their drink. “Almost agree”, headlines the Sunday newspaper (JDD), photo of Eric Ciotti and budget minister Gabriel Attal in support. In an interview, the president of the Republicans said he was ready to vote for pension reform in the name of “the best interests of the country”. “It is quite clear”, we are satisfied with Matignon. This is hardly a surprise. Internal meetings and exchanges between the head of government and the boss of the LR led to a draft compromise: exit the postponement to 65, increase in all small pensions… The right obtained concessions from the executive to dub the text, the heart of its ideological DNA.
The executive seeks to demonstrate his listening skills
On Tuesday, two group meetings are organized. At the Luxembourg Palace, LR senators congratulate each other. The government finally landed on their positions, they who vote every year to postpone the legal age to 64 years. There are no small victories, especially on the right. A few kilometers away, the LR deputies meet. The atmosphere is peaceful, a compromise is taking shape. The boss of the LR group Olivier Marleix launches into a technical demonstration, recalling the progress obtained by his camp. Eric Ciotti is more political: “Macronism will not survive Macron, its record will fail the macronists. We are a party of government which has the vocation to return to responsibilities”, he explains in substance. No dissenting voice, even if the deputy Xavier Breton does not like this support role of the executive. “‘No unless’ is preferable to ‘Yes, provided that'”, he blurts out.
Can you dance a tango while playing lying poker? The Prime Minister does not intend to say that this reform would be co-written with LR or even only inspired by the right-wing party. “We are not creating an alternative majority!” Warns a relative. The right, she wants to obtain the paternity of social advances of a text decried by the French. As proof, the question that has become emblematic of the increase in the minimum contribution for future or for all retirees, those of today as well as those of tomorrow, an absolute requirement of LR. “My priority is that it is the active people who will have to work a little longer who benefit from this revaluation”, said the head of government on January 3 on France Info, before evolving in recent days, with Emmanuel Macron , towards a general increase.
The measure, which does not appear in the text transmitted to the Council of State, will be integrated by the presentation of the PLFSSR in the Council of Ministers, on January 23. “What tipped Elisabeth Borne was her discussion with the CPME (the confederation of small and medium-sized enterprises), which pointed out that women and the self-employed would be the most concerned”, assures one of his relatives. The executive would therefore have moved when he felt the subject rising, and, we say modestly to Matignon, “it turns out that LR then Renaissance also asked for it”. This is an opportunity for the executive to make parliamentarians shine and demonstrate its listening skills. It does not eat bread. “It is voluntary and seen with us, slips their president Aurore Bergé. The obstruction may not allow to debate key subjects like this. The idea is therefore that the Prime Minister can say that it is a very strong request from the majority and other deputies, like the LRs. In short, that it can show what parliamentary life is for. Before the presentation of the reform, the government briefed its parliamentarians on its main lines and circulated the elements of language: Monday, at 5.30 p.m., the cabinet of Élisabeth Borne organized a “briefing” with some of them to prepare for their appearance in the media. A dozen elected officials were also invited to lunch on Tuesday noon with Olivier Dussopt, at the Ministry of Labor.
“LR will necessarily be attentive to how things will turn out in the country”
Republicans are aware of the political consequences of an agreement with the government. Their critics will portray them as false opponents, but a real crutch of power. Lot deputy Aurélien Pradié reminded his peers on Tuesday of the “political scope” of a deal. “It’s a reform that transforms the lives of our fellow citizens. It’s a political act almost as strong as the budget.” The young wolf is thus pushing for the contribution period to prevail over the age measure for employees who started working before the age of 21. This measure of justice is in his eyes a means of singling out the message of the right and of addressing the working classes. “We must not leave the monopoly of the defense of workers to the RN”, he insists.
The landing is done without turbulence. A clear majority of LR deputies today resolve to support the pension reform. But nothing is fixed. On the right, we know that parliamentary debates are livelier than cafes at the Hôtel de Matignon. Herald of a popular right, Aurélien Pradié intends to put pressure on the executive on social counterparties.
The liar poker game will continue this week with a new meeting between the Prime Minister and LR officials. “We need them, but they themselves would have a real difficulty in positioning if they did not vote for this text”, observes Matignon. I have you, you have me by the goatee. And there remains an element that no one, no more in the government than on the right, has mastered: the reaction of the French. “LR will necessarily be attentive to how things are going to turn out in the country” – a modest way of saying that he is not only an occasional partner, but not necessarily completely reliable.