The Socialist Party still claims to be in opposition, but it is emancipating itself from the Insoumis. Here is what happened in the National Assembly on January 16, 2024.
Matignon had to put in the resources. It took a third round of concessions for the socialists to finally decide to save soldier Bayrou.
A few hours before the vote on a motion of censure which had little chance of succeeding due to the RN's refusal to endorse it, Olivier Faure's troops met in the national office, still hesitating to pull the trigger .
“You will fall sooner or later”
More a letter from the Prime Ministerarriving an hour before the vote, convinced them to give the government in place a little more time. But how much? “You are on a fixed-term contract, you will fall sooner or later”, launched the Insoumis Manuel Bompard during his intervention on Thursday in the Hemicycle.
And the socialist Olivier Faure added a few minutes later: “If we have the impression that the debate (on pension reform, Editor’s note) is blocked, we will table a motion of censure.” From now on, François Bayrou knows he is on borrowed time.
Time for the “conclave”
It is therefore groping that he will continue to move forward to launch, this Friday, the “conclave” on pensions and above all create a budget which proves very difficult to complete.
Indeed, to satisfy the left, the Prime Minister deprived himself of certain revenues. Olivier Faure was happy to list them on Thursday during his speech: “No return to the freezing of retirement pensions, no worsening of drug reimbursement, no increase from one to three days of waiting time in the civil service, no elimination of 4,000 teaching positions…”
In order to balance the books, the richest will be called upon to contribute. Rest to the Prime Minister to translate his promises into action. And this time, it is his current majority that François Bayrou will have to face, and especially the LR who have the power in the Senate.
On January 12, Laurent Wauquiez assured: “I will not vote for a budget with new tax increases.” And a Macronist MP was also moved: “If it were a spending budget we would be in the totally grotesque situation of not being able to support it”.
-So here is François Bayrou already engaged in a new game of arm wrestling.
The anger of LFI
For the socialists, the day after is not going to be very simple either. Indeed, Thursday's vote placed them in a vise. Pushed out of the New Popular Front by the Insoumis, they will have to definitively turn the page on their alliance with Jean-Luc Mélenchon.
“The PS chooses to save Bayrou and Macron. It returns to Hollande's policy and the denial of the word given to people”, said Mathilde Panot. For Eric Coquerel, it is a “rupture” and a “overthrow of alliance”.
Jean-Luc Mélenchon evokes a “capitulation”. So here are the socialists now facing their destiny. “We are still in opposition”insisted Olivier Faure on Thursday, but now emancipated from the tutelage of the Insoumis.
Listening to a part of the electorate in search of stability, the PS wanted to appear as a capable government party, in the words of its first secretary“to snatch victories”, Or ; according to others “bring (these) home”.
However, the Rose Party did not succeed in obtaining the suspension of the pension reform, which prevented it from dragging communists and ecologists in its wake.
The socialists will therefore now have to walk alone with the threat of being opposed in the next elections, municipal or early legislative in the event of dissolution, by Insoumis candidates facing them. François Bayrou succeeded where Emmanuel Macron failed last June: he succeeded in fracture the New Popular Front.
