POLITICS – The interminable summer soap opera has (finally) come to an end. It is therefore the experienced Michel Barnier, a historic figure of the right, who has been appointed to Matignon, to take over from Gabriel Attal after the defeat of the presidential camp in the legislative elections. In a press release issued at midday on September 5, the Élysée Palace indicates the course that Emmanuel Macron has asked him to follow. For the 73-year-old Savoyard, this is ” to form a unity government ” A summit that will be particularly difficult to cross for this mountaineer.
Michel Barnier appointed Prime Minister: the oldest head of government of the Fifth Republic succeeds the youngest
Because the appointment of Michel Barnier does not really resolve the political crisis triggered by the surprise dissolution of June 9th, and the tripartition of the National Assembly into three main blocs after the legislative elections that followed. The obstacles that stand in the way of the former Brexit negotiator are numerous and, more delicately, of different nature.
Legitimacy deficit
Among them, a serious deficit of legitimacy, since the political family he represents, Les Républicains, only collected 5.41% of the votes in the second round of the early legislative elections, after an initial failure in the European elections. Result: 47 seats for LR in the National Assembly (compared to 64 in 2022).
A thorn in the side which is backed by another major flaw for Michel Barnier: he did not call for participation in the ” republican front ” against the RN in the second round of the legislative elections (no more than his political family). However, this was nevertheless the major lesson of these early elections marked by a record turnout: the persistence of a solid barrier against the extreme right. Reason why Emmanuel Macron seemed to want to keep this spirit alive within the executive.
“The French want there to be a government coalition in the image of the Republican barrier that was desired,” said the entourage of the head of state, ahead of the series of consultations organized at the Élysée. However, a few days later, Emmanuel Macron, who especially wanted a Prime Minister who would not touch his record, finally turned to the representative of a party that snubbed this famous ” republican front “, in which the New Popular Front and the presidential camp participated. Not ideal for bringing people together in these conditions.
“We go from Gabriel Harris to Joe Barnier”
As soon as the announcement was made, criticism was quick to rain down, particularly on the left, which saw this nomination as a ” insult to the French people “. Even within the historic Macronie, the choice is shocking. Breaking with his camp, the Vienne MP Sacha Houlié expressed his ” incomprehension ” on the social network X, and warns that Michel Barnier will not have his support. Also from the left wing of Macronie, a resigning minister laughs yellow with the HuffPost, pointing the image not so much ” New World » sent back by this nomination: « We go from Gabriel Harris to Joe Barnier ».
Undoubtedly, enthusiasm is measured in the Macronist ranks, where some are deliberately circulating Michel Barnier’s vote in 1981 against the decriminalization of homosexuality, when he was an RPR MP. MoDem MP for Finistère, Erwan Balanant even said ” angry “ after this appointment.
Proof, if any were needed, that the choice of the head of state does not completely convince his troops, where many fear that the Prime Minister will now find himself at the mercy of the National Rally. Because if the Le Penist party did not oppose automatic censure to the Michel Barnier option, which offers Marine Le Pen a role of arbiter that she savors with relish, the longevity of the Prime Minister will mechanically depend on the goodwill of the RN, which could seize the slightest opportunity to bring down the government.
A particularly fragile situation on the political level, especially since it allows the left to denounce this tacit alliance between Emmanuel Macron and the National Rally in contradiction (again) with the spirit of the ” republican front “For example, Jean-Luc Mélenchon did not wait to unfold. ” The Prime Minister is appointed with the permission and perhaps the suggestion of the National Rally. It is almost a government of Mr. Macron and Mrs. Le Pen,” he growled in the wake of the announcement.
Dilemma
On the substance, it is an understatement to say that Michel Barnier constitutes a bridge between Macronists and Le Penists. During the LR primary, he defended a liberal economic program marked in particular by the postponement of the legal retirement age. Honey to the ears of Renaissance. At the same time, he proposed a referendum and a ” moratorium ” on immigration, the ban on the veil in public spaces and the expulsion of foreigners sentenced to prison. Just like the reorganization of public accounts. How could the RN, which has set very similar conditions to avoid bringing down a Prime Minister, seriously be insensitive to this?
In doing so, and in the absence of support from the left, Michel Barnier will inevitably be faced with a dilemma, the answer to which will determine his survival at Matignon: should he chart a path without the RN, at the risk of being censored? Or should he go in its direction, at the risk of fracturing the presidential camp and flouting the electoral message of the ” republican front ” ? Experienced and a negotiator, Michel Barnier undoubtedly has the resources to be imaginative and try to resolve the equation. He will have no other choice. Because the scars of the crisis caused by the dissolution have not disappeared with his nomination.
Also see on Le HuffPost:
Consulted for the name of the Prime Minister, the RN savors having become “arbiter”
Michel Barnier or Michèle Bernier? Even the actress enjoys jokes about “The Intern” at Matignon
resolve
the
political
crisis){kind=link}