François Bayrou criticized for his participation in the municipal council in the midst of a crisis in Mayotte

François Bayrou criticized for his participation in the municipal council in the midst of a crisis in Mayotte
François Bayrou criticized for his participation in the Pau municipal council in the midst of a crisis in Mayotte

The new Prime Minister will attend “by videoconference” the executive meeting with Emmanuel Macron, Monday evening, after the deadly passage of the cyclone on the archipelago.

Published on 16/12/2024 17:23

Updated on 16/12/2024 17:46

Reading time: 3min

The new Prime Minister, François Bayrou, in , December 14, 2024. (STEPHANE DE SAKUTIN / AFP)

François Bayrou will attend “from a distance”Monday December 16, at 6 p.m., at the executive crisis meeting on Cyclone Chido, which has already caused 20 deaths in Mayotte, according to a provisional toll which is expected to rise very significantly. The new Prime Minister will not be physically present at this meeting organized at the interministerial crisis center at the Ministry of the Interior, around Emmanuel Macron. This absence is explained by his presence, at 7 p.m., at the municipal council of (Pyrénées-Atlantiques), a city of which he is still mayor.

François Bayrou's entourage confirms to franceinfo that the Prime Minister will be connected “by videoconference” at the crisis meeting from the Pyrénées-Atlantiques prefecture, his stronghold. The municipal council is “a long-standing commitment he made as mayor of Pau”we assure the same source.

But this decision to chair a municipal council at the same time as a crisis meeting does not go over well with the opposition. “The French people deserve better than an illegitimate half-time Prime Minister”launched on X Clémence Guetté, LFI vice-president of the National Assembly. “Even though Mayotte is going through one of the worst tragedies and the Prime Minister must also form a government, his priority is to attend his municipal council. Unworthy and disrespectful”also denounced the socialist Arthur Delaporte on the same social network.

The deputy LR Thibault Bazin, for his part, questioned on X the one who retains the double hat of mayor of Pau and Prime Minister. “The municipal council of Pau could do without your presence this evening given the situation in Mayotte and the urgency of having a government as quickly as possible to give a budget as quickly as possible, to protect the French “he castigated.

This decision is denounced even within the ministries, while the government has yet to be composed by François Bayrou. “It’s amazing, especially after his departure from the press conference and the choice of the chief of staff who knows nothing about central administrations”points out a ministerial advisor.

On Saturday, during a press briefing, the new Prime Minister left the room while the resigning Minister of the Interior, Bruno Retailleau, was going to speak. The appointment to the strategic position of chief of staff of Nicolas Pernot, revealed Monday morning by Le Figaro and Politico, also raised reservations about the profile of this high-ranking official, close to François Bayrou, who headed the services of the city of Pau.


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