François Bayrou was finally named Prime Minister and took office yesterday evening. Stuck between a visibly unconvinced Emmanuel Macron and threatening opposition parties, his future at Matignon is already uncertain…
The essentials
- François Bayrou is the new Prime Minister of France, after Michel Barnier’s short-lived stint at Matignon. During the transfer of power yesterday, the head of government spoke of a “necessary reconciliation” of the country, faced with the “difficulty of the budgetary situation”. He also called for “fighting” the “glass wall that has been built between citizens and those in power”.
- The new Prime Minister was appointed after a crazy morning this Friday. A very long and tense interview between François Bayrou and Emmanuel Macron almost ended in a breakup, when the Head of State informed him that he had opted for another profile. But the wind finally changed shortly before noon. Did he give in to the blackmail of Bayrou threatening to withdraw from the “central bloc” if he was not appointed?
- If La France insoumise is already calling for censorship, the rest of the left is waiting to see. But Olivier Faure has already made it known that the PS “will not participate” in the Bayrou government and has set red lines. The use of 49.3 in particular would be a declaration of war and would automatically lead to a vote of censure.
- The RN, which signaled the end of the Barnier government at the beginning of December, reiterated that there “will be no a priori censorship”, in the words of Jordan Bardella. But he warns: François Bayrou will have to “take into consideration the new political situation”. Marine Le Pen also warned that “an extension of Macronism, rejected twice at the polls, could only lead to deadlock and failure”.
Live
08:42 – Marine Le Pen makes “no commitment to non-censorship”
All eyes were obviously turned to her yesterday, when the appointment of François Bayrou to Matignon was announced. Marine Le Pen spoke to the press. She assured that the red lines of the RN have not moved and, although she does not “threat of censorship”, she assures that she “makes no commitment on non-censorship”.
08:40 – François Bayrou “set fire” to the Elysée yesterday
The president would have gathered his inner circle before changing his mind late Friday morning and would have justified his change of heart on François Bayrou by the fear that his main ally would “snap between his fingers”, according to a loyalist to Agence France Presse . A close friend of the Head of State also confirms that François Bayrou did “threaten to leave the central block” during the terrible morning meeting and “set a fire” by saying “I’m burning all the ships”. AFP also cited someone close to François Bayrou who assured yesterday that if the latter was not named, he would “shoot into the pile”.
08:37 – How François Bayrou changed Emmanuel Macron’s mind?
It was around 11:30 a.m. that the President of the Republic finally changed his mind yesterday, resigning himself to appointing François Bayrou Prime Minister, even though it was not his first choice. François Bayrou would have ended up “imposed” himself, “as the most consensual” and as the “most capable of ensuring unity and forming the government of general interest” according to Elysian sources cited in several media. But others suggest that the leader of Modem threatened to withdraw his party and its elected representatives from the central bloc in the National Assembly. A risk of weakening the presidential base and its allies that Emmanuel Macron could not withstand.
08:34 – Two names held the rope before the scandal of François Bayrou
According to a source on the right, Emmanuel Macron actually pissed off François Bayrou by offering him the job of being number 2 for the former Minister of Industry Roland Lescure, whom he would have preferred to see at Matignon. Other sources tell AFP that Emmanuel Macron wanted to convince the mayor of Pau “that it was not the time to appoint him” because his “choice of heart” was the Minister of Defense Sébastien Lecornu. “It was Sébastien Lecornu who was to be appointed,” adds a source close to the consultations.
08:31 – A very stormy meeting between Bayrou and Macron before his appointment
François Bayrou has been Prime Minister since the transfer of power with Michel Barnier at the end of the day yesterday. Several articles published last night and this morning returned to his long meeting with Emmanuel Macron at the Elysée yesterday morning. An interview that would not have gone well. The head of state would have first received the head of the MoDem to explain to him that he was not selected to become the future Prime Minister. A sign of the tensions, François Bayrou left the Elysée via the “Madame wing”, a discreet passage often intended for secret or unsuccessful interviews. The news from France Télévisions and Le Monde even headlined, shortly before 12:30 p.m., that François Bayrou would not be chosen. Before everything changes.
13/12/24 – 11:47 p.m. – A long weekend of consultations in perspective for François Bayrou
END OF LIVE – Appointed this Friday at midday, François Bayrou will lead this weekend a series of consultations with a view to composing his government which he has already said he wants to be compact and composed of experienced personalities, his surroundings, to Figaro and to TF1-LCI.
13/12/24 – 11:23 p.m. – What did François Bayrou and Bruno Retailleau talk about Friday evening?
Little information regarding the exchanges that the two men may have had for more than an hour has leaked, but according to Bruno Retailleau’s entourage, in addition to “the security” of imminent events, such as the passage of the cyclone in Mayotte or the arrival of the pope in Corsica on Sunday, according to The Worldthe Prime Minister and the resigning Minister of the Interior would have above all had “an essential discussion on the course to take to get France out of the institutional impasse”, reports Le Figaro. And Bruno Retailleau’s entourage clarified: “These discussions will continue in the coming days.”
13/12/24 – 22:45 – For Bompard, Bayrou does not “intend to take on the demands of the NFP”
The leader of the rebels said he was convinced of this on Friday evening, on the set of BFMTV: “I do not believe for a moment that François Bayrou intends to take up the demands of the New Popular Front.” And added: “He will not give any of the essential markers to allow the New Popular Front to find itself in its politics”, before promising an almost general vote of NFP deputies in favor of the motion of censure at the end of the general policy speech by the new Prime Minister.
13/12/24 – 22:18 – The meeting between François Bayrou and Bruno Retailleau is over
The meeting between the new Prime Minister and the outgoing Minister of the Interior, which began around 9 p.m., has just ended. François Bayrou and Bruno Retailleau will therefore have exchanged for a good hour.
13/12/24 – 9:48 p.m. – Bruno Retailleau currently received at Matignon
The resigning Minister of the Interior arrived in Matignon around 9 p.m. where he met with the new Prime Minister, François Bayrou. According to BFMTV, Bruno Retailleau would like to stay in Beauvau. However, he will not do so at any cost. The discussions should therefore revolve around the guarantees necessary in his eyes to remain in office and the limits of François Bayrou.
13/12/24 – 9:25 p.m. – The left divided over the appointment of François Bayrou
If the boss of the socialists reiterated Friday evening that his party will not participate in the government, like all the other parties which constitute the New Popular Front, it is nevertheless with the left that the new Prime Minister will have to find compromises if he wants to keep his job. His hope rests on the fact that the left-wing parties remain, at this stage, rather divided on how to act against François Bayrou. If LFI is categorical and does not intend to make the slightest effort, the other parties could be more conciliatory… under certain conditions, of course!
13/12/24 – 8:43 p.m. – Bruno Retailleau received from 9 p.m. in Matignon
The resigning Minister of the Interior must be received from 9 p.m. by the new Prime Minister, François Bayrou, reveals The World. Information has since been confirmed by TF1-LCI, which also specifies that the two men should discuss security in the broad sense during their meeting, but also several current issues such as Cyclone Chido which is preparing to hit Mayotte as well. than the pope’s arrival in Corsica on Sunday.
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François Bayrou was appointed Prime Minister this Friday, December 13. But the appointment was made with pain: long favorite, the boss of MoDem was first informed that he was removed from Matignon early in the morning according to information from France Télévisions and Le Monde, after a long heated interview with Emmanuel Macron. He finally established himself as the best candidate for Matignon during a second meeting, an hour before the nomination.
François Bayrou must now appoint a government capable of resisting a motion of censure by ensuring the support of the central bloc, the right and part of the left (PS, Ecologist, PCF) since Emmanuel Macron no longer wants that the government depends on the RN. For now, only LFI promises to censor the Prime Minister and his future government. The other left-wing forces are not announcing “a priori” censorship, but are not ruling out firmly opposing the government. Still, the boss of MoDem would have had an “aside deemed positive” with Olivier Faure. The RN remains in its position which consists of giving a chance, but not renouncing censorship.