As if the left-right divide had never disappeared. While Le Figaro seems to rejoice at the appointment of Michel Barnier as Prime Minister by Emmanuel Macron, referring to “the choice of appeasement” and praising the “political and technical experience” of the 73-year-old, Libération and L’Humanité are fuming this Friday, September 6.
“Approved by Marine Le Pen”, headlines the daily with the red diamond. “Two months after the legislative elections that saw the right sink, it is nevertheless an LR Prime Minister that Emmanuel Macron has chosen, with the approval of the RN”, denounces Libération.
Unlike the leaders of the New Popular Front, Marine Le Pen has not committed to censure the Barnier government in the coming weeks. “We will be attentive to the project that it will carry, and attentive to ensuring that the aspirations of our voters, who represent a third of the French, are heard and respected,” declared the leader of the RN after the nomination of the former candidate in the primary of the right.
“The outrage,” also denounces L’Humanité. The newspaper founded by Jean Jaurès claims that Emmanuel Macron chose the former European Commissioner “against the verdict of the ballot boxes” and “with the blessing of the National Rally.
“And now, govern”, is the headline of La Croix, which recalls that the new Prime Minister will have to “state his policy, seek majorities and assert himself against Emmanuel Macron”.
“A tenor of the right”
For its part, Le Parisien chose to use the words of the new occupant of Matignon on its front page (“We are going to act more than talk”), affirming in the subtext that the new head of government “has immediately distanced himself from Macronism by promising to ‘listen to and respect’ elected officials and social partners”.
The Dernières nouvelles d’Alsace describes a “wise man” with a “great capacity for listening and negotiation, as demonstrated by his role in the United Kingdom’s exit from the European Union”. And a consistent politician who resisted “Macronist calls”.
“The surprise of the leader” finally launches the daily Sud-Ouest, which sees in Michel Barnier “a leading figure of the right recognized for his ability to negotiate”.
Surprise? Many also see the former European Commissioner as a “plan B”, after the failure of the Bernard Cazeneuve and Xavier Bertrand options. The Republican Lorraine thus evokes a “tactical” choice that displeases the smallest number, lending Michel Barnier a “coefficient of flexibility much higher than his potential competitors”.
- BFMTV.com