In recent days, Marine Le Pen’s phone has been ringing off the hook. Emmanuel Macron asks the far-right leader’s opinion. What does she think of Xavier Bertrand at Matignon? Nothing good. The MP for Pas-de-Calais has a fierce hatred for the president (Les Républicains) of Hauts-de-France and has made this known to the head of state. So, the candidacy of the representative of the social right for Rue de Varenne is out.
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The hypothesis, which kept the political and media world in suspense for several hours, was dismissed late Wednesday, September 4. The day before, the fate of the president of the Economic, Social and Environmental Council, Thierry Beaudet, had been sealed in a few minutes by the National Rally (RN), the party judging the man, close to the reformist unions, too “insulting” towards the Le Penist training.
Will Jean-Marie Le Pen’s daughter be more lenient with Michel Barnier? Sixty days after the results of the legislative elections, the President of the Republic changed his tune once again on Wednesday evening to test the name of the former European Commissioner with everyone. Does the Republican – defeated in 2021 during the right-wing primary for the 2022 presidential election – have a sufficiently consensual profile to not be overthrown by a motion of censure at the Palais-Bourbon as soon as he is appointed? The Elysée wants to be sure.
Emmanuel Macron is therefore resuming his marathon of consultations. According to the Elysée, the MP for Pas-de-Calais was to be sounded out, like the other party and group leaders in the National Assembly, on the advisability of appointing the former Brexit negotiator to Matignon.
Does Marine Le Pen remember that Michel Barnier accused her in 2022 of wanting to lead the country to “national shrinkage” ? Or does she prefer to remember that the former European Commissioner also promised a referendum on immigration in the past? The opinion of the far-right leader counts for double in the eyes of the Elysée. “Marine Le Pen gives the kiss of death to both. The National Rally has 142 deputies [en comptant ses alliés du groupe A Droite !, d’Eric Ciotti]we have to deal with it”breathes the senator (Union of Democrats and Independents) of Hauts-de-Seine Hervé Marseille, ally of Emmanuel Macron.
The RN, marginalized but essential
A pariah party during the legislative elections of July 7, when the spirit of the Republican Front was revived, the RN has taken on the role of kingmaker. « Shame!”comments on X, David Djaïz, former rapporteur of the National Council for Refoundation. “I share this same question: from the much-invoked “republican front”, we are today making the RN the chief censor or not of a future “PM” [premier ministre] »protests the (Renaissance) MP for Paris Astrid Panosyan on the social network.
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