“Excellent news”, “traitor”, “indictment”… Reactions to the appointment of Rachida Dati as Minister of Culture

The LR mayor of the 7th arrondissement of Paris and former Minister of Justice arrives at Culture, in place of Rima Abdul Malak. This surprise appointment arouses numerous political reactions.

A right-wing figure enters the government. Rachida Dati, Les Républicains mayor of the 7th arrondissement of Paris and former Minister of Justice under Nicolas Sarkozy, joins Gabriel Attal’s team. His appointment as Minister of Culture on Thursday, January 11, created a surprise and quickly provoked a reaction from the entire political class.

LR, a party divided over its nomination

The Republicans, Rachida Dati’s political family, did not react with one voice. Eric Ciotti announced the exclusion of the former Minister of Justice from the party, following her appointment. “We are in the opposition, so we draw the consequences of his choice with regret”, writes the head of the Republicans in a press release. The Rhône deputy Alexandre Vincendet, for his part, welcomed on franceinfo a “excellent news” And “a personality of great quality.”

The far right marks the rapprochement between the Republicans and Renaissance

“Virulent criticism of Macron yesterday, Rachida Dati joins him today”, mocks X Laure Lavalette, spokesperson for the National Rally in the National Assembly. This is a “game of musical chairs where ministers land on the same seat”, writes the MP for Var, who criticizes the new Prime Minister Gabriel Attal. According to her, he “invents the reshuffle without change”while “Meanwhile, French people’s electricity bills continue to rise..

THE “LR are simply traitors”, quips Éric Zemmour ironically. The president of the Reconquest! post a message on X and a screenshot of Rachida Dati, declaring on June 21, 2021 on France Inter: “What is La République en Marche? A party of left-wing traitors and right-wing traitors, which is nothing without Emmanuel Macron.“ She then spoke in the wake of the regional elections. For Marion Maréchal, Reconquête candidate! to Europeans, on “the dissolution of LR into macronism is complete”.

The left underlines its indictment

The left almost unanimously recalls that the former Minister of Justice Rachida Dati has been indicted for “passive corruption”, “passive influence peddling” and “concealment of abuse of power” since 2021 in the investigation into her services of advice to the former CEO of the Renault-Nissan alliance Carlos Ghosn. “Treason and indictment for corruption, all the criteria were met to join a government which highlighted the exemplary Republic”, reacts on X the First Secretary of the PS, Olivier Faure.

For the environmentalist MP Sandrine Rousseau, “It goes all the way to the right.” Communist senator Ian Brossat underlines the paradox of this appointment by recalling that “Rachida Dati castigated the right-wing elected officials who left for Macronie: betrayal, lack of spine. Who imagined then that it was a self-portrait?”he asks.

The mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, “wish good luck to those in the world of Culture given the challenges they will go through.” Rachida Dati was until now at the head of the right-wing opposition at Paris town hall.

Offended NGOs

On X, the anti-globalization association Attac is ironic about seeing Rachida Dati become a minister again. “Having already been indicted for ‘corruption’ and ‘influence peddling’, Rachida Dati will have no trouble integrating into this government. It seems like this is a prerequisite for being Macron’s minister”, laments the association. On the side of Anticor, an association fighting against corruption, the observation is cynical: “The government continues to betray the promise of exemplarity made in 2017 by the president to voters”.