“Is he the man who can save France?” This is the question asked by the Swiss media Blick before François Bayrou’s “grand oral” before the deputies, Tuesday January 14. The answer remains unanswered after the general policy speech, but what is confirmed is that the Béarnais thinks he is, underlines journalist Richard Werly.
He stood out from the country's political class, accused as a whole of having “danced the fatal tango that led us to the edge of this precipice”, that of the public debt, falls Politico. “All government parties found themselves accused,” observe Blick, who judges the process “very effective”.
Ultimately, the Prime Minister “wants to impose compromises on the French to spend less”, summarizes the Swiss site. “The remedies remain unclear”, but it is indeed the narrow path that François Bayrou has traced, and which closely resembles “a crazy bet”.
“Save time”
And this, in particular, on pensions, the most scrutinized point of his speech. Instead of repealing or suspending the reform, “the new Prime Minister has got around the obstacle by passing the buck to the social partners who will be able to unravel the legislative text, or even replace it, but on one condition: agree on a financing method which allows identical savings”, écrit Blick. If they do not succeed within the three months allotted, the reform will apply.
“In reality, it is a suspension that does not speak its name, because the increase in the retirement age that the reform proposed does not come into force before 2026, noted The Country. So that Bayrou, without violating the parliamentary balance too much, gave the Socialist Party what it asked for in order not to vote for a motion of censure. A way, all in all, to save time.” For the Spanish newspaper, this could be enough to “obtain support or abstention” socialists, while “the environmentalists have already announced that they will vote for the motion of censure”.
-In fact, note in Italy Il Sole-24 Ore, the socialist camp has made it known that it will participate in the “conclave”, while reaffirming that its objective was the repeal of the 2023 reform. Boris Vallaud, the president of the socialist group, however told François Bayrou: “The account is not there”, succession in Switzerland Time, who asks: “What will the socialists do? We will still have to wait to find out, especially since this question is not unanimous within the party”.
Signs to the far right
Even limited, the concession to the socialists on pensions “does not please the right and Bayrou knew it, continues The Country. So the Prime Minister had to come up with other proposals to satisfy his ranks, in particular those of the extreme right.”
Reform of the electoral system towards proportional representation, emphasis placed on immigration presented as a “question of proportion” : the centrist made gestures towards the National Rally and generally played a balancing act. Even offering a few words for the “yellow vests”, notes the Madrid daily.
Overall, concludes Time, the Prime Minister “calmed (a little) the less extreme left and reassured the right”. For how long?
