An early supporter of former right-wing Prime Minister François Fillon, this Senate heavyweight claims to be a social Gaullist, with a line considered less harsh than that of Bruno Retailleau, his leader in the Upper House, who was appointed to the Interior. He had already been mentioned many times during previous reshuffles, with a profile considered more “constructive” than many of his colleagues on the right. Replacing Macronist Marie Guévenoux, he takes over an ultra-sensitive portfolio peppered with emergencies.
First with New Caledonia, where 13 people have died in violence since May, following the pro-independence mobilization against the reform of the electoral body which has since been suspended. Martinique has also been in the grip of tensions in recent days, with demonstrations against the high cost of living. Guadeloupe, for its part, is affected by strikes by EDF workers and is suffering from power cuts, while Mayotte is facing the consequences of a crisis, particularly a migration crisis.
Positive reception in New Caledonia
The appointment of François-Noel Buffet was welcomed positively in New Caledonia, both by the pro-independence and loyalist sides. He had led a cross-party delegation there during a trip in mid-March, warning at the time of the risks of a deterioration in public order in the archipelago and attempting to display a position of appeasement, while supporting the constitutional reform that had been criticized on the enlargement of the electorate for local elections.
“He is a man who listens well and we think we can move forward in a positive way with such a personality,” said Aloisio Sako, president of the Oceanian Democratic Rally, on behalf of the Caledonian independence alliance FLNKS. He said he was “waiting to see him at work.” “This is very good news,” added Philippe Dunoyer, for the non-independence party Calédonie ensemble, recalling that the new minister is “a balanced man of discussion and consensus.”
Sonia Backès, president of the Southern Province and leader of the Loyalists, expressed her “satisfaction at having a minister who knows the situation perfectly.” “In the context of the great difficulties we are experiencing, this appointment is good news,” also welcomed Virginie Ruffenach, president of the Rassemblement-LR group in the Congress of New Caledonia (non-independence).
“There is an emergency” in Martinique
In Martinique, figures from the Rally for the Protection of Afro-Caribbean Peoples and Resources (RPPRAC), a collective at the forefront of the movement against the high cost of living, said they were vigilant after learning the name of the new minister during a supermarket blockade in the east of the island.
“We have to give the product a chance,” joked Gwladys Roger, treasurer of the collective. “At the slightest mistake, it will be punished because we are fed up with ministers […] who know nothing about our realities.” She said she was “impatiently” waiting for Mr. Buffet to come to Martinique: “It is urgent.”
“Strong involvement” expected in Guadeloupe
On the neighbouring island of Guadeloupe, the Socialist Party’s national secretary for overseas territories, Olivier Nicolas, believes that this appointment “offers only one satisfaction”: “the end of the attachment of this ministry to the Ministry of the Interior which, since the start of Macron’s second five-year term in 2022, sounded like a relegation and a reduction of overseas issues to questions of public order”.
The Guadeloupean Socialist Party, in a press release, said it expected “very strong involvement from the Prime Minister in the serious overseas issues which are among the political emergencies of the period.”
Related News :