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A red carpet rolled out without knowing, vaudeville and to finish… Bayrou
Emmanuel Macron finally appointed François Bayrou, the big favorite for the post, at Matignon on Friday, at the end of a crazy morning of procrastination and rumors of all kinds which shook the presidential camp. A vaudeville, in its purest style. “These consultations this morning were like Eugène Labiche. But logic, the evidence, won out,” summarizes a loyal follower of the head of state. This evidence, however, took time to become apparent to Emmanuel Macron, who continued to push back the deadlines that he had set for himself. At croissant time on Friday, while the head of the MoDem is received at the Elysée by Emmanuel Macron, a red carpet is rolled out on the steps of Matignon, foreshadowing a decision-making. We are then considering a handover between the old and new Prime Minister at “late morning”, according to ministerial sources, with all the outgoing ministers and their cabinets. It must be said that the president had promised to announce “Friday morning” the name of Michel Barnier’s successor, censored eight days previously. Granting himself a few extra hours, after having broken his promise to decide by Thursday afternoon. As usual, Michel Barnier arrived at 8:00 a.m. in Matignon, and is refining his speech, which will be brief, like his visit to rue de Varenne, three months, the shortest lease in the Fifth Republic. The technicians continue to work in the courtyard, installing posts and two microphones side by side. But they wonder about the height of that reserved for Michel Barnier’s successor. “If it’s Bayrou, how tall is he?” Before putting them on the same level, in the absence of knowing more.- Tie -In the entourage of François Bayrou, received at the Elysée on the anniversary of the birth of Henri IV, of whom he wrote a biography entitled “the free king” is the expectation. Because the corridors of power are buzzing with contradictory rumors, fueled by the president’s hesitation. The mayor of Pau and former Minister of National Education has already been received twice by the Head of State. He spoke with him on the phone again on Thursday. But could he be overtaken by the historic Macronist Roland Lescure, whose name came up loudly on Thursday, or the Minister of the Armed Forces Sébastien Lecornu? A close friend of Mr. Bayrou put on his tie. He is confident. If Emmanuel Macron “says ‘I’m seeing Bayrou to consult him again'” without naming him, “he would be making a fool of himself”, says someone close to the head of state. “He is no longer the master of the clocks” since the dissolution, “he is the master of an unprecedented crisis under the Fifth Republic. Time is no longer his ally,” adds the same person. This would be “particularly cruel “to summon him to dismiss him,” says a close friend of former Prime Minister Bernard Cazeneuve, who no longer believes in the latter’s chances. Entering through the main door of the Elysée, François Bayrou comes out at the end 1H45 through a back door in the Madame wing and rushes into his car. He does not return to his offices at the High Planning Commission, a few hundred meters from Matignon. No one in his inner circle knows where he is. Mutique.In Matignon, no name was given to Michel Barnier. “At least we are ready” for the handover says those around him. – Drama – Among the Macronists, who are not against the Bayrou option, points out a certain dismay: “I don’t see what more (Roland) Lescure has that (François) Bayrou is crazy.” According to a source on the right, Emmanuel Macron proposed to François Bayrou to be number 2 to the former Minister of Industry, causing a drama. In fact the president, according to a close friend, “buried this morning” the Lescure option, pushed by the Secretary General of the Elysée Alexis Kohler. “The outcry from the RN was too strong,” explains a close friend of the Franco-Canadian. The fact remains that the interview with François Bayrou “went very badly,” according to a source in the presidential camp. Sébastien Lecornu’s option is “rising”. Emmanuel Macron wants to convince the mayor of Pau “that this is not the time to appoint him” because his “choice of heart” is Sébastien Lecornu, details the close friend of the Head of State. Who assures that François Bayrou then threatened to leave the central block and “set fire” by saying “+I’m burning all the ships”. “It was Sébastien Lecornu who was to be appointed” adds a source close to the consultations. But the president “had no choice”, “he himself deduced that François Bayrou would be better able to bring people together”. The slightest clue about the intentions of the head of state ignites social networks. A plane potentially carrying Bernard Cazeneuve is tracked. “It’s +The Corsican investigation+”, quips those around him. François Bayrou’s relative took off his tie. “We’re among the crazy.” And warns: if François Bayrou “is not named, he will shoot in the crowd.” The president gathers his close guard and ends up naming him, saying “+otherwise he will slap me between the fingers+”, assures a faithful. At the same time as the release of the official press release, Michel Barnier also went to the Elysée… to attend the decoration of IOC President Thomas Bach. He then planned to get some fresh air in Savoy, his electoral stronghold, after the handover.pol-are/jmt/jco
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