In the heart of summer, his beard turned completely white. Some will see it as a sign of wisdom, others a sign of his discretion. Édouard Philippe is making his political comeback on the occasion of the parliamentary days of his Horizons party, Friday September 16 in Fontainebleau, a few moments before Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne.
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An expected political return, as Édouard Philippe is discreet in the media, he who has not spoken publicly since the end of June, two days after the legislative elections. Objective: to find a space in the center right between Renaissance, Emmanuel Macron’s party, and Les Républicains (LR), who have refused any coalition. “No need to make news channel 24 hours a day”, smiles his friend, the mayor of Saint-Germain-en-Laye, Arnaud Péricard. “Edward Philippe is always present in the public debate. He is a free, independent man of convictions, consistent and loyal. But it is also a man, in his freedom of thought which is his, who asserts his difference“, he specifies.
Latest example: Edward Philippe was not present at the launch of the national council for the refoundation, at the beginning of September. He also refused the merger of his Horizons party, with that of Emmanuel Macron, Renaissance. “We are not meant to be all the same, we have a political identity that sometimes divergesdefends the president of the Horizons group in the National Assembly, Laurent Marcangeli. We mostly come from the right and center family. We also have an attachment to the territories which is a little stronger, without saying that the others are wrong. We have a number of ideas to put forward on the state of our country’s finances, the pension system… A whole host of subjects on which we will not fail to position ourselves.”
Pension reform is also the workhorse ofEdward Philippe, annoyed behind the scenes by Emmanuel Macron’s desire to go quickly, too quickly, even if it means going through a simple amendment to the social security budget. This is not going to fix the fresh relations between the Head of State and his former Prime Minister. In private, Emmanuel Macron also judges that the succession war that is taking shape behind his back is only “background music“.”The subject ofEdward Philippe, it is to succeed in existing, by only being mayor of Le Havre“, deciphers an adviser, a bit mocking.
In the shadows, however, he continues to structure his Horizons party, which will celebrate its 1st anniversary in early October with 500 support committees throughout France. A party supposed to become a flagship for the next presidential election.