Barnier Government: who is Antoine Armand, new Minister of the Economy with a background very similar to that of Emmanuel Macron?

There are certain similarities which may seem disturbing. At 33, Antoine Armand takes the helm of Bercy as Minister of the Economy. In fact, he became one of the most important figures in the new government. However, until then he was closer to anonymity than to a ministry of this magnitude. His career is reminiscent of that of a certain Emmanuel Macron, who became the youngest president of the Fifth Republic only a few years after his appointment as Minister of the Economy.

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The similarities begin at school. If Antoine Armand was born and raised in the capital while the president is from Amiens, they take the exact same preparatory class, a “khâgne B/L” at the Henri IV high school in Paris. The only difference is that Antoine Armand managed to enter the École nationale supérieure, where Emmanuel Macron failed twice. He then joined the ENA, as head of state, and upon his exit, he joined the General Inspectorate of Finance, again as president.

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The similarities stop here, for the moment, since, unlike Emmanuel Macron, he is elected deputy in 2022 in the 2nd constituency of Haute-Savoie. He entered politics officially in 2021 by becoming the departmental referent of the presidential party in Haute-Savoie. The same year, he was swept away in the departmental elections in the canton of La Roche-sur-Foron where he was beaten in the first round with barely more than 1,200 votes and just under 13% of the vote. His second election as a deputy nevertheless shows some progress since he goes from 60 to 69% of the votes in the second round and almost doubles his total votes, in particular thanks to the withdrawal of the NFP candidate.

The RN outside the Republican arc? Already the first controversy…

In a 2022 leaflet, he speaks of “the challenge” of “blocking the far right”. However, when he explains on France Inter that the RN is outside the republican arc and that, as such, he will not receive them, he is severely reframed by the Prime Minister. Michel Barnier then called Marine le Pen in person to reassure her. He then declared to his minister, according to Europe 1, “another one like that and it’s out”. Since then, he has tried to follow the government’s RN-compatible line without appearing to deny his ideals. In any case, he announced that he would receive the RN for consultations relating to the budget.

On July 20, 2024, he was elected president of the Economic Affairs Committee of the National Assembly. A position that propelled him to the Ministry of the Economy, just over two months later.

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Being a supporter of the president, his economic doctrine seems to follow in the footsteps of Emmanuel Macron and his predecessor, Bruno Le Maire, whose record he praised. In any case, he assured that he believed that his role was in particular to “make the task easier for businesses”. Particular attention to restoring stability in the public accounts is also promised while the deficit is expected to approach 6% in 2024.

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The future will tell whether Antoine Armand is destined for a career as prestigious as that of Emmanuel Macron or whether he will only be the ephemeral Minister of the Economy of a government quickly censored.