The return of the puzzle for Emmanuel Macron. The head of state affirmed in his speech on December 5 that he intended to appoint “ in the coming days » a replacement for Michel Barnier as Prime Minister. But who? Like last summer, names are circulating, without any certainty that the future head of government will ultimately be among these names.
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A left-wing Prime Minister for Francethis is what the left-wing coalition of the New Popular Front has been demanding since last summer, given their first place in the early legislative elections. This was the case again this December 6 at midday, in the voice of Olivier Faure, the boss of the socialists.
Unlike the Insoumis, the socialists say they are ready for compromise with the central block. If Lucie Castets was the name proposed last summer by the NFP, three months later, the option seems to have been ruled out. The president of the LFI group in the Assembly, Mathilde Panot, said on December 4 when the censorship was announced: “ We have always said that we support Lucie Castets, but we do not want to pretend not to see that the Socialist Party no longer supports her “.
What about a personality from the PS since the party says it is ready to negotiate with the LR and the Macronists on certain conditions? Emmanuel Macron does not exclude it, but “ he will not appoint a PS head of government as long as it is allied to LFI », According to information from BFMTV.
The profile of the former socialist and former Prime Minister was rejected last summer by the New Popular Front. In any case by a large part of the NFP. The former president turned MP, François Hollande, for his part believes that he could have been appointed instead of Michel Barnier “ and not be censored by the National Assembly “.
But for the socialist Olivier Faure, for example, the former Prime Minister does not have the legitimacy required to represent the entire NFP. Among the Macronists, on the other hand, we seem interested. “ You need to have political know-how to reassure », Judges a deputy from the presidential camp.
Faithful Macronists?
The names of François Bayrou, mayor of Pau, president of the centrist Modem party, and Sébastien Lecornu, Minister of the Armed Forces, are circulating insistently within the presidential circle. The centrist leader has never hidden his interest in the position. “ Obviously François Bayrou is in this frame of mind », Recently affirmed the leader of the deputies of the centrist party, Marc Fesneau.
Conversely, Sébastien Lecornu, usually silent, is omnipresent in the media. “ I’m not a candidate for anything. Every time I change it, I get the same refrain. », he recently commented on RTL.
After Barnier, a new right-wing Prime Minister?
Bring in a personality from the same camp as the now resigned Prime Minister Michel Barnier? A choice that seemed risky. On the right, the name of François Baroin, mayor of Troyes (LR) is mentioned, as is that of Xavier Bertrand (LR), president of Hauts-de-France. Concerning François Baroin, former Chirac minister for a long time at the head of the mayors of France, is discreet. But he let it be known » his interest in the position, according to Le Parisien.
Seeing a right-wing personality return to Matignon seems all the more uncertain as an agreement between Macronist and socialist could materialize. The PS will not participate “ in no case to a government led by a right-wing Prime Minister », affirms Olivier Faure, after his meeting with Emmanuel Macron.
A “technical” profile?
“ I don’t think the Prime Minister should be a member of a party already represented in the Assembly », confides to RFI a Macronist MP. Translation: calling on a technical profile would be wise.
An option which, however, seems far from being unanimously supported, even less so than last September, among leaders, as stated by this Modem deputy contacted by RFI. “ Technical government means nothing. A government is political, we are not going to take a technician “.
However, several names are mentioned, such as that of the former European Commissioner and Minister of the Economy, Thierry Breton, but also François Villeroy de Galhau, senior state official, director of the Banque de France for almost ten years.
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