Ministers LR and François Rebsamen for the left: the composition of François Bayrou’s government ” advance “ and its announcement is imminent, after a first week at Matignon loaded with controversy.
Appointed on December 13 after an incredible day, the boss of MoDem continues this weekend to refine his team, which he wants to be tight and as open as possible.
“It’s moving forward. (…) The structure of the major ministerial centers is fixed”explained the president of the Modem deputies, Marc Fesneau, in La Tribune on Sunday, confirming that the complete government list should be presented “in one go” et “before Christmas”
In fact, President Emmanuel Macron returns to France on Sunday morning, after three full days outside France, to Mayotte, then Djibouti and Ethiopia, opening a window for an announcement.
On Monday, there is little chance that a government will be announced, due to the day of national mourning decreed by the head of state for the Mahorais whose island was devastated by cyclone Chido.
There would still be Tuesday, December 24, just before France plunges into the end-of-year celebrations.
Government or not, François Bayrou begins his mission with a historically low rating, with 66% of people dissatisfied according to the Ifop-Journal du Dimanche barometer.
Don’t join the government
After meeting the parties and parliamentary groups one by one, then all together, the Prime Minister faces several obstacles to distance himself from the choices made by his predecessor, Michel Barnier.
” class=”img-responsive” src=”https://i.la-croix.com/729×0/smart/2024/12/22/1923089-le-president-du-groupe-droite-republicaine-al-ass .jpg”/>The president of the Republican Right group in the National Assembly Laurent Wauquiez, November 26, 2024 in Matignon, Paris / JULIEN DE ROSA / AFP/Archives
The Republicans were slow to give their thumbs up to agree to participate in the government, even though François Bayrou announced his intention to maintain the very right-wing Minister of the Interior, Bruno Retailleau.
But Saturday evening, after discussing with François Bayrou, the leader of the LR deputies Laurent Wauquiez confirmed to his troops that he was moving towards the party’s participation in the government, subject to written commitments from the Prime Minister “with details on the roadmap”.
Evoking his “personal case”according to participants in this meeting, Laurent Wauquiez declared: “The only possible configuration for me was Bercy (the Ministry of Finance) with a clear roadmap, in particular no tax increase. There is no such roadmap. He (François Bayrou) offered me something else, I declined”.
“Joining the government today is anything but comfortable”estimated the other strong man of LR, Bruno Retailleau, in the JDD. But “if the right does not take its responsibilities, despite the assurances received on its red lines, then François Bayrou will have no other choice but to turn to the left”he estimated.
It is precisely the left flank which remains the most difficult to convince for the cantor of the “co-responsibility”.
“Important concessions”
Thursday, the leader of the socialist party Olivier Faure left Matignon disappointed, saying he “dismayed at the poverty of what (was) proposed” and not ruling out censoring the brand new Prime Minister, an early ally of Emmanuel Macron.
Jean-Luc Mélenchon, whose movement refuses any agreement with François Bayrou, followed suit, judging that the fourth Prime Minister of the year “will not survive the winter” without having been censored by the National Assembly. Like Michel Barnier on December 4 on the draft social security budget.
” class=”img-responsive” src=”https://i.la-croix.com/729×0/smart/2023/12/14/1145722-the-mayor-of-dijon-francois-rebsamen-a-dijon -mar-28-2022.jpg”/>Former socialist minister François Rebsamen, March 28, 2022 in Dijon / Ludovic MARIN / AFP/Archives
However, the former socialist minister François Rebsamen, 73, announced in La Tribune on Sunday that he was ” ready “ to join the government, touting his “relationship of trust” for a long time with François Bayrou.
But the latter must make “significant concessions” to the left, warned Public Square MEP Raphaël Glucksmann on Saturday, referring in particular to pensions.
The mayor of Pau accepted the principle of opening a discussion to review the reform raising the retirement age to 64, but without suspending the current reform.
Sans “really negotiate” with the left, the Prime Minister would demand from the latter a “surrender” rather than creating the conditions for a ” compromise “warned Mr. Glucksmann.