Could the new Prime Minister have made a worse start?

POLITICS – Will François Bayrou join Marion Rolland and Usain Bolt? Like these two athletes, the new Prime Minister is making his mark with a frankly failed start at Matignon. To the point of falling after two meters of descent, like the skier at the Vancouver Olympics? Or to be disqualified after a chaotic start, like the sprinter at the world championships in South Korea? Some are starting to think about it.

The president of MoDem, a historic ally of Emmanuel Macron, was named Prime Minister on Thursday December 12 after an incredible standoff with the host of the Élysée. The head of state, who wanted to appoint his faithful Sébastien Lecornu, finally decided to install the centrist, unhappy with the treatment inflicted on him.

Since then, François Bayrou has worked hard to consult all the political forces represented in the Assembly to form his government. Problem: in parallel with these discussions, supposed to help him climb “ the Himalayas of difficulties » which made Michel Barnier falter, his first steps in the role of Prime Minister are laborious. In five days, the controversies continued and the vagueness became thicker regarding his political vision.

A ” major political mistake »

First there is the form. While the images of the Mayotte archipelago, devastated by Cyclone Chido, worry in France and beyond, François Bayrou is singled out for his alleged lightness on the issue. With two very unique scenes, and particularly difficult to cope with today for his close guard.

On Saturday, the new head of government did not want to answer questions from journalists for the first press briefing organized on the subject. He let his (resigned) Minister of the Interior Bruno Retailleau do his thing, before leaving the room. An outing, in front of the camera and without explanation, worthy of the best caustic TV series, which finds a particular echo on social networks. Communication blunder or blatant disinterest?

The most optimistic did not remain so for long. Two days later, while Bruno Retailleau was busy on site, and the President of the Republic organized a crisis meeting dedicated to Mayotte… François Bayrou preferred to go to Pau, to chair a municipal council. This means participating in discussions on Mayotte by videoconference, and using the presidential fleet for an express return trip to the Pyrenees.

The town hall of Pau, more than the Mahorais archipelago? Unsurprisingly, the picture offered by the centrist, at a time when Mayotte is in the grip of what could be the deadliest climate catastrophe of the last 100 years in France, is to no one’s taste. On the left, we criticize a “ mistake majeure », and « unthought colonial and racist » or a “ terrible mistake ».

Just a clarification?

Even more embarrassing, these criticisms are shared even among elected officials who are supposed to support the head of government. Thus, Yaël Braun-Pivet did not hesitate to publicly criticize François Bayrou this Tuesday, December 17, explaining on franceinfo that she would have “preferred that the Prime Minister, instead of taking a plane to Pau, take the plane to Mamoudzou”the capital of Mayotte. Harsh.

Additional sign of this unease: the president of the MoDem devoted almost the entirety of his first meeting at the Assembly, this Tuesday afternoon, to defending himself from any contempt concerning the overseas territories. “Pau is in France (…) I chaired the municipal council of my town. I consider that, in doing so, I was also in my place as a citizen”he explained… Before an awkward outing on the “ national territory » which would exclude Mayotte.

What to convince the skeptics? And put out the start of the fire? Not sure, at all. Because beyond these questions of form, or this communication that smells good “ the old world “, we cannot say that the background is more successful for these first moments at Matignon. For the moment, the Prime Minister is refraining from any comments on his projects or his guidelines. A major pitfall, undoubtedly, in finding the stability that his predecessor lacked.

« Am I giving the general policy speech today? No », For example, he responded this Tuesday to the president of the socialist group Boris Vallaud who was worried about the absence of an outstretched hand to Matignon. A response which is reminiscent of that of Michel Barnier, when the former Prime Minister explained to his interlocutors seeking clarification that they would have to wait for his general policy declaration to find out more about his road map. We know the rest.

Play it like Michel

In reality, several indicators show that the Béarnais seems tempted to follow in the footsteps of the Savoyard, who bet everything on the leniency of the National Rally towards him to last. Wrongly. To be convinced of this, you just have to look at the reactions to the various consultations in Matignon: Marine Le Pen came out rather happy, satisfied for example on proportional representation, when the left open to dialogue (PS or EELV) appears stunned by the content discussions.

He is in the process of “ gradually pave the way to one’s own censorship “, even explained Marine Tondelier, the leader of the Greens as she left Matignon, pointing out this Tuesday the centrist’s inability to give ” answers » to the left. A sort of warning shared well beyond the New Popular Front. “ If it is to use the Barnier method, on former elected officials in the government and the deal with LR, it will have the same consequences”argues for example the deputy for Vienne, former Macronist, Sacha Houlié.

In this context, we cannot say that the only substantive proposal mentioned by François Bayrou since his appointment contributes to finding the path to stability. Since Pau, the president of the MoDem has effectively defended the return of the accumulation of mandates (executive – mayor), a accumulation which he nevertheless fought for many years, in the name of the moralization of political life. Which made Olivier Faure, the national secretary of the Socialist Party, say that the head of government “ got lost. » Déjà ?

In fact, these chaotic first days – in an eruptive political atmosphere – do not encourage optimism. Even within the parties of “ bloc central. » « His debut is not up to par. He is disconnected, void of political meaning and he will be incapable of bringing together », decides with the HuffPost a setting of one of the chapels meant to support the executive. And to prophesy pessimistically: “ In a month it falls”. A false start within the rules of the art.

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