Almost six weeks after the second round of the legislative elections, Emmanuel Macron has still not appointed a Prime Minister. What do you think of these consultations that are dragging on?
This is a necessary, indispensable step. The institutional role of the president is to ensure, as much as possible, that the next Prime Minister does not fall in the first few days. There is no majority and…
Almost six weeks after the second round of the legislative elections, Emmanuel Macron has still not appointed a Prime Minister. What do you think of these consultations that are dragging on?
This is a necessary, indispensable step. The institutional role of the president is to ensure, as much as possible, that the next Prime Minister does not fall in the first few days. There is no majority and there will not be one. The result of the July legislative elections is clear: no one won, it is the opposite of the school of fans. The message that was sent is to listen to us.
In this configuration of an Assembly without a majority, who seems to you to be best placed for Matignon?
The more consultations multiply, the more the identikit portrait of the Prime Minister becomes clearer and, for me, he resembles Bernard Cazeneuve. It is obvious. The office of Prime Minister is the most difficult and demanding in the Republic. Moreover, in this very particular parliamentary context. Therefore, it is essential to appoint a personality who has experience of the State, government and parliamentary life. We also need a personality who is able to unite or, at least, to be widely respected. Bernard Cazeneuve is a man of the left, recognized by the government left and by part of the right.
“It is essential to appoint a personality who has experience of the State”
So Lucie Castets, the NFP candidate, cannot serve as Prime Minister?
I said it: the office of Prime Minister is the most difficult in the Republic. I have nothing against Mrs Castets, but she has never had an elective mandate, she has never been a member of a government. We must entrust the fate of France to someone who has experience.
Jean-Luc Mélenchon had nevertheless opened the way to an NFP government without an LFI minister…
Jean-Luc Mélenchon is a very bad strategist, on the other hand, he knows how to pull off political stunts. But support without participation, we already saw that in 1936. And, at the time, the communists’ goal was still the revolution. In addition, their support without participation in the Blum government also helped define the notion of social traitor… However, the left-wing electorate does not wait for chaos. This proposal by Jean-Luc Mélenchon is a fallback solution, to wash his hands of difficult decisions. Jordan Bardella, for the RN, had done nothing else by announcing that he would not govern if he did not have an absolute majority. Mélenchon, Bardella and Wauquiez do not want power, their goal remains the presidential election.
Bernard Cazeneuve Prime Minister, does this perspective not guarantee a majority to govern?
It would be incomprehensible if he were censored by the socialists. Bernard Cazeneuve is a free and disinterested man, he asks for nothing. He supported me during the legislative elections, but I am not his spokesperson. He is not in a personal approach. He is at the barycenter of the balance that can be found. Emmanuel Macron would be well advised to call him.
