A list of personalities supposedly considered to join the government was widely distributed on Tuesday, December 17. But its origin is unknown, and its content very doubtful.
Question received on December 17, 2024
Bruno Retailleau remains in Beauvau, Gérald Darmanin inherits the Quai d’Orsay, Elisabeth Borne takes over the Armies, and Xavier Bertrand is promoted to Health. According to a list circulating online since Tuesday December 17, the game is already set for the future government of François Bayrou. However, the Prime Minister assures that nothing has yet been decided and is continuing his consultations.
“Here is the list of members of the new Bayrou government”, thus announces an article published Tuesday by the information site Economie Matin, a media whose reliability has already been called into question (for having published false content for the benefit of the Avisa Partners agency). The article explains that it is nothing less than “the list of ministers proposed by François Bayrou to Emmanuel Macron”. We then “learn” that “Rachida Dati keeps her place in Culture. Same thing for Marc Ferracci, who remains in post at the Ministry of Energy and Industry […]Roland Lescure inherits the hot potato by winning the Ministry of the Economy […]. The musical chair continues for Catherine Vautrin, since she replaces Anne Genetet at National Education […]. Jean-Noël Barrot should also change portfolio, moving from the Ministry of European Affairs and Foreign Affairs to that of Justice.” In the process, Politique Matin, another media outlet in the same group, hastened to put an article online based on the same elements, also titled “Here is the composition of François Bayrou’s first government”.
In their articles, Economie Matin and Politique Matin claim to be based on “a parliamentary source”. But, near CheckNews, Axelle Ker, the editor of Economie Matin, discusses “a ministerial collaborator of the Macronist camp” who gave him the list. According to her, the document contains “the working hypothesis which circulates in centrist groups”, and which is used within the framework of “political negotiations”.
“Nostradamus du market”
Far-right media also got involved. “According to our information, Gérald Darmanin and Elisabeth Borne should return to the Bayrou government,” writes Radio Courtoisie on the social network “this should be taken with a grain of salt”. And host Cyril Hanouna comments: “Gérald Darmanin, I believe in it. He presented a tie to the Assembly today. It’s a sign.”
Finally, articles were dedicated specifically to personalities whose names appear in the list. The public good, regional newspaper distributed in Côte-d’Or, underlines that two local elected officials would inherit a ministry. The president of the Burgundy-Franche-Comté regional council, Marie-Guite Dufay, would be appointed to the Ecological Transition. And the president of Dijon Métropole, François Rebsamen, would be in charge of Territories and Territorial Communities. As for Patrick Bayeux, author of the blog “Décideurs du sport”, he talks about the profile of Violette Spillebout, Macronist MP who would become Secretary of State for Sports and Youth.
At the same time, photos of a printed document, topped with the words “very confidential”, titled “governmental architecture as of 17.12.2024”, and containing exactly the same list, were relayed on social networks. All day Tuesday, these images were, in fact, passed from telephone to telephone, between ministerial advisers, parliamentary collaborators and journalists – including those of Liberation. But none of the political journalists consulted by CheckNews does not claim to take its content seriously.
For good reason, each ministerial reshuffle is accompanied by its share of names, even if it is more unusual for a list to circulate in such a formal manner, printed on paper before being photographed. The editors of the Playbook Paris newsletter Politico slide as they have, “as usual, loved receiving this document – as well as half of Paris – which, from an unknown source, was obviously classified “very confidential”, and will undoubtedly be the first in a long series”. And to refer to a previous edition of the newsletter. Dating from May 2022, it was already “tribute to the Nostradamus of the transfer window, mischievous and often inventive minds at the origin of sometimes eccentric lists of ministers. No less than four, all different, reached us by SMS or other encrypted messages, circulating from smartphone to smartphone, from offices to editorial offices.”
“Intoxication circulates with each reshuffle”
On the networks, where he reports having been the recipient of this list, journalist Paul Denton also insists on the recurrence of these lists. A document “supposed to reveal the list of Bayrou’s future government was sent to journalists (including yours truly), he says about X. This is the case with every reshuffle.” On Mastodon and Bluesky, he adds: “The misinformation circulates with each reshuffle or change of government, often launched by ministers in need of support, without any reality.”
Asked by CheckNews, Paul Denton discusses “a fanciful list”, which would have been transmitted to him by “a ministerial advisor”. But does not specify which firm or whether it belongs to the “macronist camp”, as the alleged source of Axelle Ker. This advisor wanted “just knowing if I had seen it filming, getting my opinion and having a little laugh. Nothing more”, he indicates.
Among the “fantasies” that have not escaped CheckNews, one of the people supposedly approached sees his name misspelled. President of Paris-Saclay University, Camille Galap has become “Camille Gallape” in the list. And the journalist from Politique Matin, visibly troubled by his mixed first name, takes it for a woman: “A recognized academic, she will lead reforms for higher education and research.” Nothing very serious, then.
