Political figures, members of civil society, unknown to the general public: 59 days after the legislative elections, a litany of candidates for the post of Prime Minister has been put forward, without it always being easy to distinguish the serious leads from the political comets.
The latest example is Thierry Beaudet, the president of the Economic, Social and Environmental Council (CESE). This anonymous person, including for many political journalists, was pulled out of the hat on Monday thanks to Emmanuel Macron’s procrastination in appointing a new Prime Minister who could avoid censorship.
But less than 24 hours later, the trail appeared to have completely dried up, a symptom of a political crisis opened by the dissolution of the National Assembly on June 9.
Mr Beaudet, who comes from civil society, is a teacher by training and has no political experience, was received twice by Emmanuel Macron at the Elysée as part of his consultations, according to a source close to economic circles, before being quickly presented as the future tenant of Matignon.
Faced with this sudden notoriety, the former head of the Mutualité française remained silent, refusing to confirm or deny his ambition to become Prime Minister. Nor his desire to undergo a political transformation, after a career in the shadows.
Other personalities from the political class were also approached, such as Karim Bouamrane, who was able to take advantage of the sequence to see his popularity rise.
Although the mayor of Saint-Ouen has emerged as a rising figure in the Socialist Party and has attracted the interest of Macron’s party — perhaps due to a profile published in the New York Times in April — he remains unknown to a majority of French people and now seems far from Matignon.
“In parliamentary regimes, in a situation where there is no clear majority or coalition emerging, we will create technical governments where we will seek out people who do not have too strong a political identity”, profiles intended to “reassure through their competence”, analyses Olivier Costa, a researcher at the CNRS, for AFP.
Like Mr. Beaudet, but also Lucie Castets.
– “Old wise men” or “technicians” –
Her designation as a candidate for Matignon by the parties of the New Popular Front (NFP) has shaken up the status of this senior civil servant, who went from being an illustrious unknown to the forefront of political life overnight.
The current political situation is conducive to the emergence of two types of profiles for Matignon: “the wise old men”, who can embody a form of stability, and the “technicians”, whose competence will be praised, explains Mr. Costa.
“It is quite revealing that the NFP went looking for Lucie Castets, quite simply because they could not reach an agreement among themselves,” he adds, describing the long process that preceded her appointment.
The result of a compromise reached after 16 days of tension and procrastination on the left, the 37-year-old ENA graduate had to make herself known, having barely been appointed, by giving her first steps in politics a campaign feel.
Although observers criticized her lack of confidence after one of her first appearances on France Inter, she remained omnipresent in the media, hammering home the ideas dear to the NFP, or revealing details of her private life, in particular her homosexuality in an interview with Paris Match.
The former director of finance for the city of Paris also made trips to the field, to Lille and Orléans, at the end of July, to welcome the takeover of the Duralex factory by its employees, while supporting her government ambitions.
Along with the light, Lucie Castets discovered the controversies inherent in the candidates for such functions.
Le Canard enchaîné revealed in particular that she had taken paid leave rather than taking leave, her status as a civil servant requiring her to exercise a duty of confidentiality.
On Thursday, she announced that she would be leaving her position at the city of Paris, a decision forced by the imminent end of her summer vacation. And why not the first step in a political career?
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