“Changes and ruptures”: this is what Michel Barnier promised during his transfer of power with Gabriel Attal. The one who has started a new round of consultation meeting Gabriel Attal this morningthen the leaders of LR, assures that the discussions are going “very well” and are “full of energy”. The exchanges with the various representatives should make it possible to clarify the outlines of the future government team and its roadmap. “It will take a lot of listening” and “respect for all the political forces that are represented”, affirmed the Prime Minister. As a reminder, Michel Barnier was tasked by the Elysée with “forming a unifying government in the service of the country”.
Although Michel Barnier comes from the ranks of LR, Laurent Wauquiez and Bruno Retailleau detailed, as they left Matignon, the conditions for obtaining the support of their political family. “Since the beginning, we have wanted to get France out of the deadlock and we said that we would assume our responsibilities, but we will only do so on a program that guarantees to respond to the concerns of the French people,” says Laurent Wauquiez, president of the La Droite Républicaine group in the National Assembly. The former president of the Auvergne Rhône-Alpes region recalls the broad outlines of the “legislative pact” proposed by his party and raises the “issues of work, security and immigration”. Laurent Wauquiez also insists on the need to straighten out the “public accounts” after a new slippage in the public deficitSince the dissolution, the LR leaders have refused to participate in a coalition and have made the resumption of the priorities expressed in the “legislative pact” their political compass.
The president of the LR group in the Senate, Bruno Retailleau, also formulated several imperatives to support the policy of the new Prime Minister. While he praises the personality of the former Brexit negotiator who has “all the qualities to succeed”, the senator from Vendée rejects the idea of continuing Emmanuel Macron’s policy. “One of the first questions we asked him was what Prime Minister he intends to be. Will it be a collaborating Prime Minister? In which case it could be without us, or will it be a full-fledged Prime Minister within the meaning of Article 20 of the Constitution who leads and determines the nation’s policy,” explains Bruno Retailleau. The challenge for LR will therefore be to ensure the resumption of its priorities and the independence of Michel Barnier from the President of the Republic before granting its support to the Prime Minister. Even though the Elysée promises a change of method leaving Michel Barnier significant room for maneuver, AFP reports that Emmanuel Macron’s entourage is counting on “demanding coexistence” rather than cohabitation.
After speaking with Emmanuel Macron at midday, the Prime Minister is expected to detail his objectives during an interview on the 8pm news on TF1 this Friday.