The ministers of François Bayrou's government took office on Tuesday, on the eve of Christmas, but the Socialist Party is already no longer ruling out quickly censoring it in the name of too much “dependence” on the goodwill of the far right .
“I am convinced that the action that I define before you and the government team will ensure that we will not be censored,” the centrist leader declared on Monday a few hours after the presentation of his government.
“None of the conditions of the non-censorship pact have been respected” in the composition of the new government, nevertheless replied Tuesday the leader of the PS Olivier Faure, “there is no reason to grant anything to this government.”
The socialist leader, who had agreed to negotiate a sort of non-aggression pact with François Bayrou, regretted that his conditions had not been respected: “No dependence on the extreme right, no more forceful passage to 49.3 and a change of direction.
He specified that his group could vote for censure as soon as the Prime Minister's general policy declaration on January 14.
In the immediate future, Tuesday was devoted to the transfer of powers in the ministries, before the meeting of a first Council of Ministers after the holidays, on January 3.
The two former Prime Ministers Elisabeth Borne, appointed to Education, and Manuel Valls, to Overseas Territories, will be particularly scrutinized, as will another returnee, Gérald Darmanin, who will occupy the Justice portfolio.
On the Bercy side, the new Minister of the Economy Eric Lombard took office on Monday, replacing Antoine Armand. The former director of the Caisse des Dépôts et Consignations, presented by François Bayrou as a man of the left, immediately called for “treating our endemic evil, the deficit”.
This will be the first challenge for the Bayrou team: to pass a budget for 2025 in the National Assembly, the same place where on December 4 his predecessor Michel Barnier was overthrown by a motion of censure.
The new Prime Minister hopes that the presence of heavyweights in his team will protect him from this. In any case, he does not plan to ask for confidence on January 14 from a fractured Assembly.
“In the wake of this general policy declaration, there will be a sort of vote of confidence because there will probably be a motion of censure,” argued the Prime Minister, who “respects the fact that political forces “don't want to be assimilated against their will into government policy.”
La France insoumise (LFI) has already announced its intention to table a motion of censure. But the National Rally, the largest group in the Assembly, reiterated again that it would not a priori censor the new government.
The oppositions were very harsh with the new government, notably accusing the Prime Minister of recycling personalities who had previously failed.
An “extreme right” government in the form of “provocation” judged on Monday. A team full of “people disowned at the polls and who contributed to sinking our country”, added the head of LFI deputies Mathilde Panot.
“Fortunately, ridicule does not kill” because “François Bayrou has brought together the coalition of failure,” said RN president Jordan Bardella.
On the side of the Republicans (LR), who remain in government, Laurent Wauquiez spoke of “very demanding” support for François Bayrou which could be “withdrawn” depending on the course set.
The government team has 35 members, is less numerous than that of Michel Barnier (42) but less tight than envisaged, and almost equal with 18 women and 17 men. And marked by a certain continuity with 19 ministers who are retained.
The new Prime Minister said he was “proud” of a “collective of experience to reconcile and renew trust with all French people”, ten days after his arrival in Matignon and strong in having respected his objective of forming a government before Christmas.
