In parallel with the formation of his government, Michel Barnier begins on Tuesday a tour of the parliamentary groups of the centre and the right, whose support is not totally acquired, starting with the Macronist elected representatives.
The Prime Minister is expected at 7:00 p.m. in Rosny-sur-Seine, at the end of the parliamentary day of the deputies Together for the Republic (EPR, ex-Renaissance) and their fellow senators.
A first test for the new tenant of Matignon, who must ensure sufficient support in Parliament before the budget battle. Head of government but not yet of a majority whose balance of power he will first gauge.
“Nothing can be done without us,” his predecessor Gabriel Attal, now at the head of the 97 Macronist deputies, who will have “neither a desire to block nor unconditional support” for him, has already warned him.
However, positions are more diverse within the group, between the left wing and the right wing, and depending on whether or not one is eyeing a ministerial post. Leaving Bercy for the vice-presidency of the National Assembly, Roland Lescure warned: “My confidence will not be automatic” and a hardening on immigration will be a “red line”.
The same caution is shown by her resigning colleague at Agriculture, Agnès Pannier-Runacher: “At this stage, we are in a position of constructive opposition. No censorship in principle, but no blank cheque.”
Others are more open, like Sylvain Maillard who judges that “the President of the Republic took time to find the right person” and that “now we have to build with him”. With “demand” certainly, so “that our ideas are taken up”, but also in order to “ensure stability”.
Even if it means sealing an alliance by entering the government? “Its composition and its roadmap are inseparable,” believes Marc Ferracci, who hopes that the team includes “people from the central bloc in due proportion to what we represent in the Assembly.”
His colleague Karl Olive is almost a candidate: “If we can be useful, we should not ask ourselves any questions”, explains the deputy from Yvelines, for whom “Mr Barnier does not need anyone to know what he has to do”.
– Invited everywhere –
The Prime Minister, however, needs to know who he is dealing with. From this point of view, the leaders of Horizons at least have the merit of speaking with one voice. From the outset, Edouard Philippe promised that his supporters would be “many to help him”.
Logical, since “we have an analysis that is close”, acknowledged Laurent Marcangeli after an interview at Matignon on Sunday. The leader of the 33 Philippeist deputies even admitted that participation in the government “cannot be excluded”.
Signals which were able to convince Mr Barnier to go to Reims on Wednesday, where the party is making its political and parliamentary comeback.
His visit is also planned to the 36 MoDem deputies, who are also meeting on Wednesday and Thursday in Cély-en-Bière (Seine-et-Marne), where the reception should be friendly. Didn’t François Bayrou praise Mr Barnier’s “assets” on Sunday, “a good choice” for Matignon because he “will allow the majority to be broadened”?
Obviously, this praise is not without ulterior motives from the mayor of Pau regarding a centrist presence in a “balanced government”, which “seems obvious” to him.
The Prime Minister’s agenda could still include a place for the parliamentary days of his own political family, Les Républicains (LR), which had the brilliant idea of meeting on Thursday and Friday in Aix-les-Bains, in Mr Barnier’s Savoyard stronghold.
A positive signal came on Monday evening from the LR president of the Senate Gérard Larcher who opened the door wide to the participation of the right-wing party in the Barnier team.
“The Prime Minister seems to have adopted our proposals and I believe that we will be able to participate in the government,” he told Le Figaro.
Because the strongman of the right, Laurent Wauquiez, had been demanding after a first exchange at Matignon last Friday. His 47 deputies will only play the game “on a program” taking up his priorities – in particular in matters of immigration and security – “and nothing else”.
bur-gbh/hr/lpa
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