Édouard Philippe and François Bayrou plead to be better represented in the second wave of government appointments

Gabriel Attal’s government is still incomplete. We won’t know the rest of the casting until the end of the week. But behind the scenes, negotiations with the majority’s allies are going well.

The MoDem and Horizons, the two allied parties of the majority, hope to “remake themselves” at the catch-up session. Delegated ministers and secretaries of state must still be appointed at the end of the week and they are eagerly hoping for a rebalancing. Édouard Philippe and François Bayrou spoke about it with the president, with the Prime Minister.

Ideally, the boss of MoDem would like four ministers, in addition to Marc Fesneau, who is in Agriculture. “We could even claim six ministers in total!” launches a frame, a bit provocative. The argument is as follows: with 51 deputies, the MoDem represents 20% of the majority in the Assembly. “Why wouldn’t we also have 20% from the government?” asks one of them. A Macronist likes to dampen centrist enthusiasm: “What does MoDem bring us today? ? Nothing. Let them go to the opposition and they will see how they are treated.”. Good atmosphere when discussing the appetites of François Bayrou.

Horizons more reliable than MoDem

Édouard Philippe, the boss of Horizons, also has only one minister in the current government. He too is interested in rebalancing. Why not with three ministers, in addition to Christophe Béchu, holder of the vast portfolio of Ecological Transition. “We are asking for three to have two, but if in the end it is only one, Édouard Philippe will not make it a casus belli”, assures one of his lieutenants. A Horizons MP believes that the former Prime Minister’s troops deserve to be treated well because “we are a loyal and reliable partner, we saw this during the immigration law”. An implied more reliable partner than the MoDem, where five deputies voted against and 15 abstained. Everyone pushes their pawns, even if it means tripping up their little comrades. Who will get what in the end? A close friend of Édouard Philippe admits not having too much visibility at the moment.

In the composition of the final government, there is another ally not to be forgotten: the Radical Party, this small centrist party, formerly led by Jean-Louis Borloo. The current president, Laurent Hénart, received guarantees from the president, the secretary general of the Élysée and the Prime Minister so that his movement would be represented. This could involve the reappointment of the former minister responsible for local authorities, Dominique Faure. But in case there is a desire for change at the top of the executive, Laurent Hénart also included the name of a senator and a deputy. One thing is certain: if all allies are served up to their expectations, the government is already virtually at 23 members. It’s not a win since the idea is not to exceed 30.