Environmental activists divided on Lucie Castets’ chances of reaching Matignon

The NFP candidate for Prime Minister was present at the Ecologists’ Summer Days on Thursday in Tours. She will be received Friday morning by Emmanuel Macron at the Élysée, who is due to announce a name for Matignon shortly.

To hope to land at Matignon, the New Popular Front will have to go to the Élysée Palace: the representatives of the left will be received on Friday 23 August by the Head of State, who will soon announce the name of the future Prime Minister. Will they succeed in imposing their candidate Lucie Castets? The environmental activists encountered in Tours (Indre-et-Loire) during the Summer Days are divided.

In the aisles, near the yurts and vegetarian stands, defeatism is gaining ground among some, after six weeks of waiting. “Frankly, I am hyper-sceptical, because of his policy for seven years,” says this young woman, referring to Emmanuel Macron. “Everything is always a political calculation”says an activist.

Others still believe it. “Until it’s done, it’s not done”says an activist. “Of course we believe it, Boris insists. We’ve been fighting over this for weeks, we’ve given a name for weeks, it’s up to him to take responsibility. So he’s going to appoint Lucie Castets, there’s no other solution.”

Never mind the risk of being swept aside at the first motion of censure. “I don’t see any other solution today than to try, to go for it, he adds. We came first, we have to govern, and if it’s for three weeks, we’ll still have time to pass laws that can change people’s lives. We’ll have done the job and then we’ll continue to fight for the next deadlines that will certainly arrive very quickly.”

And if Emmanuel Macron ultimately refuses to appoint Lucie Castets to Matignon, there will only be one solution for Marie-Pierre. “There is the street that will make the difference. People will get very angry if it is not named,” she assures. With the aim of already joining possible union movements at the start of the school year.