LIVE – New government: Wauquiez, Larcher and Retailleau received by Michel Barnier

LFI MP leader Mathilde Panot called on her socialist colleagues on Monday not to oppose the National Assembly’s examination of a procedure for the impeachment of Emmanuel Macron, in the name of “democratic debate” and “popular sovereignty”. LFI MPs have tabled a resolution aimed at initiating a procedure for the impeachment of the President of the Republic, signed by 81 MPs. Governed by Article 68 of the Constitution, this procedure is long, difficult to complete and would ultimately require the approval of two-thirds of the parliamentarians of both chambers, meeting in the High Court.

The left and the far right strongly criticized this Monday Emmanuel Macron’s choice to propose Stéphane Séjourné, the resigning Minister of Foreign Affairs, as the future European Commissioner. The president of the LFI group in the National Assembly, Mathilde Panot, considered, during a press conference at the Palais Bourbon, that it was a “new abuse of power” by the head of state, her colleague Arnaud Le Gall lambasting the record at the Quai d’Orsay of the minister, “the voiceless face of a follower France, incapable of weighing in the face of international disorder”.

National Rally MEP Thierry Mariani denounced “the art of rehousing the fallen little marquises of Macronie”, while National Front MP Laurent Jacobelli spoke of “the Republic of cronies”.

According to Matignon, “the Prime Minister was happy to exchange and meet again with the interlocutors of the day”, including the LR leaders and Gabriel Attal. “They exchanged a lot on the architecture of the government, so that it is as functional and operational as possible. He wants to meet the partners of the potential common base”, continues Matignon, according to whom Michel Barnier is currently meeting with MP Liot Charles de Courson.

The meeting between LR officials and Prime Minister Michel Barnier at Matignon has ended.

The President of the Senate Gérard Larcher, the head of the LR senators Bruno Retailleau and that of the Republican Right deputies Laurent Wauquiez have just arrived at Matignon to speak with the Prime Minister Michel Barnier.

In addition to Gabriel Attal and LR officials, Prime Minister Michel Barnier will meet Tuesday afternoon with leaders of the Communist Party (PCF), Matignon told TF1-LCI. “We come asking for wage increases, the repeal of the pension reform, resources for our public services,” explained the national secretary of the PCF, Fabien Roussel, on France Inter in the morning.

According to Matignon on TF1-LCI, Prime Minister Michel Barnier received Laurent Hénart (Radical Party) and is currently talking with his predecessor Gabriel Attal, head of the Ensemble pour la République group (ex-Renaissance) in the National Assembly.

Michel Barnier is continuing his consultations with various political forces this Monday. The composition of the new government should be announced this week… but “we will have difficulty having it before Sunday”, said the spokesperson for the LR deputies, Vincent Jeanbrun.

The President of the Senate Gérard Larcher, the head of the LR senators Bruno Retailleau and that of the LR deputies Laurent Wauquiez will be received today at 3:50 p.m. at Matignon, according to sources concordant with TF1-LCI.

The submission of the draft budget to the National Assembly on October 9 instead of October 1 is a “path under consideration,” Matignon claims. The Prime Minister’s office specifies that a letter on this draft budget will be sent to the Finance Committee of the Assembly “during the day.”

The new government should not be known “before Sunday”, according to the spokesperson for the LR deputies Vincent Jeanbrun, because Michel Barnier has “a complex equation to solve” to form an executive which will have to include “people who have experience” to get the budget voted.

“We will have difficulty having it before Sunday,” Vincent Jeanbrun acknowledged on Sud Radio on Monday, recalling that the High Authority for Transparency in Public Life (HATVP) also had to “verify the probity of each member of the government.” On Wednesday, September 11, Michel Barnier had indicated that the government would be known this week.

Could Thierry Breton be part of Michel Barnier’s future government? “It’s a very likely hypothesis,” said Dominique Seux, columnist for “Les Échos” and France Inter this morning on LCI, while the European Commissioner for the Internal Market has just announced his resignation from the European Commission.

“Thierry Breton was Minister of Finance under Jacques Chirac in 2005 and debt was his favorite subject. It was also reduced as a percentage of gross domestic product. If that were confirmed, it would be a nice coup.”

“If Michel Barnier is the zealous continuer of Macronist policy, then the government will fall,” threatens Jordan Bardella on RTL. “If the government consists of recycling Mr. Darmanin, Mr. Dupond-Moretti and all the bigwigs of Macronism going all the way to Mr. Bertrand, it is Macronism that is changing its shop window,” explains Jordan Bardella, warning that “censorship will not only be that of the Prime Minister, it will be that of a government.”

The chairman of the Finance Committee, Éric Coquerel (LFI), maintained the pressure on Michel Barnier by threatening to come in person on Tuesday to demand budget documents that have still not been sent to the national representation.

“Today, we are asking him for his response and if not, indeed, with Charles de Courson (the general rapporteur of the budget, editor’s note), we will go tomorrow (Tuesday) to Matignon”, declared the rebellious deputy on France 2. The two representatives of the Finance Committee have the right to control on-site and on budgetary documents.

The ceiling letters set the credits ministry by ministry for 2025 and, Mr. Coquerel specified, “a constitutional law establishes the fact that we have the budget documents at the end of July.”

Guest of Adrien Gindre on the set of “Bonjour! La Matinale TF1”, Laure Lavalette brandished the threat of a motion of censure against the next government of Michel Barnier, who, according to her, comes from a political family that has “missed everything”.

“He finds himself forming a government, it must be admitted that it is still absurd. I don’t know how long this will last,” said the Var MP.

“The situation is not sustainable” because it is not what the French want, said the spokesperson for the RN, which wants legislative elections in a year. “We are keeping the motion of censure up our sleeve for the first red line that will be crossed by this government,” she warned.

More than two months after the legislative elections, the Barnier government is expected this week. In a context of political tensions, the new Prime Minister continued his consultations this weekend, according to his entourage. He notably received the resigning Minister of the Interior Gérald Darmanin.

The former European Commissioner’s objective is simple: not to see his government censored by a National Assembly divided into three blocs.

The names of the main LR leaders (Laurent Wauquiez, Bruno Retailleau, Annie Genevard) are circulating for an entry into the government. If Michel Barnier received the support of Horizons, the party of Édouard Philippe, the reception is more mixed at Renaissance, the party of Emmanuel Macron, whose group in the Assembly is now chaired by Gabriel Attal.