François Bayrou began on Monday to consult political forces at the same time as he formed his government, in search of a path that would allow him to pass, without a majority, a budget, after the previous one was frozen by censorship.
The new Prime Minister receives the parliamentary groups of the National Assembly “in their order of importance” numerically in this chamber. It is up to them to decide the composition of their delegation, with or without party leader.
The president of the group of National Rally deputies, Marine Le Pen and that of the party Jordan Bardella arrived at 9:00 a.m. local time at the Matignon hotel. The frontist leader had castigated on Sunday a “contemptible coalition of opposites” but will not censor “a priori”. The two far-right leaders deplored not having been received soon enough by former Prime Minister Michel Barnier.
François Bayrou, who made a point of personally calling each group leader, will then speak with Gabriel Attal, both the leader of the Macronist deputies Ensemble pour la République (EPR), and president of the Renaissance party, who left his mark his support.
The socialist group leaders will follow, Boris Vallaud for the Assembly and Patrick Kanner for the Senate, with the First Secretary of the PS Olivier Faure, who do not intend to enter the government, but have shown themselves ready to discuss on different subjects, such as a “social conference” on pensions or the taxation of high incomes, all proposals supported by MoDem, the party of François Bayrou.
The leader of the Republican Right (DR) deputies Laurent Wauquiez will come alone. His LR party conditions the participation of the right in the government on the “project” that François Bayrou will present to them.
La France insoumise, which has already promised censorship, refused to meet François Bayrou on Monday in this context, out of “fear” according to Jean-Luc Mélenchon “that it would all be a comedy again”.
Form a tight team dominated by experienced “personalities”
At the same time as these consultations, which will continue on Tuesday, François Bayrou is refining his team, which he wants to be tighter and dominated by experienced “personalities”, leaving Mayotte affected by a deadly hurricane in the hands of Emmanuel Macron.
François Bayrou, who met Emmanuel Macron again on Sunday evening, defined himself on Sunday as “a Prime Minister of full exercise and complementarity” with the president who had hesitated until the last minute to appoint him.
François Bayrou, however, does not intend to fight over state positions, which fall under the so-called “reserved” domain, according to a government source. The MoDem currently holds the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, with Jean-Noël Barrot. It remains to be seen whether Sébastien Lecornu, a supporter of Emmanuel Macron whom the head of state hesitated to appoint to Matignon, wishes to return to his post.
François Bayrou received on December 13 the outgoing Minister of the Interior Bruno Retailleau (LR), to whom he left the management of the crisis in Mayotte, affected by a deadly cyclone, as a guarantee of the continuation of his mission in government . But the maintenance of this divisive minister divides. The socialists first contested his plan for a new immigration law. The President of the Senate Gérard Larcher (LR) pleaded for the reappointment of his party colleague.
Bring the new finance bill for 2025
Time is running out for the formation of the government, because it is he who will carry the new finance bill for 2025, interrupted by censorship. And this, while the deficit is worsening and the rating agencies are frowning.
The new Prime Minister received the outgoing Budget Minister Laurent Saint-Martin on Sunday, before the examination by the deputies on Monday of the draft special law which will allow the continuity of the State, in the absence of a budget adopted on time .
He also met on Saturday with the governor of the Bank of France, François Villeroy de Galhau, and the president of the Court of Auditors, Pierre Moscovici. So many possible profiles for Bercy, like that of Roland Lescure.
