“This is progressing” and “the structuring of the major ministerial centers is fixed”, explained Marc Fesneauthe president of the deputies of the Democratic Movement (MoDem, Mr. Bayrou's centrist party), in the newspaper La Tribune on Sunday, confirming that the complete list of government should be presented “all at once” and “before Christmas”.
Appointed on December 13, François Bayrou continued during the weekend to refine his team, which he wants to be tight and as open as possible. He wants it to include significant personalities, from the left as well as the right and the center, in order to respond to the emergencies facing the country, particularly budgetary ones.
This Sunday appears crucial. On Monday, there is little chance that a government will be announced, due to the day of national mourning decreed by the Head of State for the inhabitants of Mayotte, an archipelago in the Indian Ocean devastated by Cyclone Chido. Would still remain Tuesday, December 24, just before the France don't dive into the end-of-year celebrations.
Saturday evening, the leader of the Les Républicains (LR) deputies, Laurent Wauquiezconfirmed to his troops that he was moving towards participation of the right party in the government, and François Bayrou announced his intention to maintain the LR Minister of the Interior, Bruno Retailleau.
The left flank remains the most difficult to convince for François Bayrou who defends “co-responsibility”. Thursday, the leader of the Socialist Party Olivier Faure came out disappointed from his meeting with Mr. Bayrou, saying he was “dismayed by the poverty of what (was) proposed” and not ruling out censoring the brand new Prime Minister, an early ally of Emmanuel Macron.
François Bayrou accepted the principle of opening a discussion to review the reform raising the retirement age to 64 years. But without suspension of the current reform, the socialists consider the gesture insufficient.
