“No majority can be written without us. No vote can be won without us.” Former Prime Minister Gabriel Attal, now head of the Renaissance deputies, once again warned his successor at Matignon, Michel Barnier, in his introductory speech at the start of his group’s parliamentary term on Tuesday, September 10, in Rosny-sur-Seine. The elected members of the former presidential majority met in the depths of Yvelines, in the middle of fields, in a place usually used for business seminars or weddings. There is no question yet of a union with Michel Barnier, from the Republicans, but the new head of government still came in the evening to “a republican aperitif”. “To face the serious moment our country finds itself in, we must work together”urged the new tenant of Matignon, promising to respect “all sensitivities” of the presidential group.
“We have the right to be demanding”Gabriel Attal had reaffirmed earlier in front of his troops. “We have the right to say that our support cannot be taken for granted (…) We are not about to sell out our values“The former Prime Minister thus assumes the line of the presidential party’s press release, published Thursday after the announcement of Emmanuel Macron’s choice of a politician labeled right-wing to lead the government: “There will be no automatic censorship, but demands on the substance without a blank check.”
The former Prime Minister does not hesitate to put a form of pressure on his successor. At the head of the Ensemble pour la République group, which has 97 deputies, he is trying to establish a balance of power with Matignon. During the transfer of power, he thus asked Michel Barnier to commit to the school file or to that of “de-micardization”. “Measures were to be presented this summer, they are on your desk, Mr. Prime Minister”he said. Before being put back in his place by the former European Commissioner: “I found my office a little empty earlier.”
Officially, “relations are very good, warm and friendly” between the two men, assures the team of the former Chirac minister. Gabriel Attal’s entourage does not use the same words, but also evacuates any dissension: “It is wrong to suggest that relations are strained and that they do not get along well, they spoke to each other almost every day.” In the ranks of the Renaissance deputies, on the other hand, some express their distrust towards the new Prime Minister. “It’s a disappointment tinged with anger and bitterness”reacted to the announcement of the nomination of Michel Barnier by the deputy of Manche, Stéphane Travert, a member of the left wing.
“We will have to make compromises, but not at the cost of our convictions and our values.”
Stéphane Travert, Renaissance MPto franceinfo
“It’s a reasonable choice, Barnier, we’re not looking for someone who shines, but someone who holds up. Then, I didn’t go on set to say ‘it’s great'”sums up a parliamentarian, without enthusiasm. “I am very worried when I hear the Barnier of 2021 [candidat malheureux à la primaire de la droite pour la présidentielle de 2022]. Are we going to have this Barnier or the Barnier negotiating Brexit? For the moment, I don’t know.”adds one of his colleagues. “We hope for a relationship of trust, listening and respect, particularly in relation to the results, to what has been done so far”adds the deputy of Ain Olga Givernet.
“The group is divided, with 20% worried, 20% seeing this as great news, and the bulk of the group being vigilant.”assesses a deputy. Several voices in any case ask for indulgence for the new government. “We cannot, we must not be hostile a priori to Michel Barnier. The country’s success is now his.”believes Mathieu Lefèvre, deputy of Val-de-Marne and member of the right wing. “We cannot oppose a Prime Minister chosen by the President of the Republic”adds one of his colleagues.
However, loyalty to the head of state could crumble. “We are no longer in the situation of a group perfectly aligned with the executive, in a state of symbiosis. We must have our own freedom of tone”analyzes a deputy. The dissolution decided before the summer by Emmanuel Macron had the consequence of freeing a certain number of deputies from the Elysée guardianship. “We took a big hit and we lost a lot of our colleagues, it was incredibly violent”recalls another. “The situation we are in is partly his fault”says one of his colleagues.
“We have the right to be angry with the president and his mistakes. It is time to take our rightful place in relation to the executive.”
A Renaissance MPto franceinfo
This resentment feeds mistrust. Far from being intoxicated by the “perfume of cohabitation”, the Renaissance parliamentarians are in a state of expectation. “We don’t know where we’re going. I don’t know if we’re in the opposition or in the majority. We feel that there could be a fracture in the group if we go on certain subjects.”admits a somewhat lost MP. “L“The atmosphere is complicated within the group. We have not done the most difficult part with the appointment of Barnier. We have neither a program nor a majority.”completes another. “We will look closely at the composition of the government and its general policy statement”adds Olga Givernet.
“A Republican government would be a bit complicated. [Michel Barnier] has an interest in not relying solely on the 47 right-wing deputies and the resigning ex-LR ministers, that is not enough to bring people together”warns another MP. And not all LRs are welcome. “The name Bruno Retailleau comes up quite a bit as a turn-off for some people here”confides a deputy. Similarly, the possibility of a Ministry of Immigration worries a manager of the group: “It’s a symbol, a red rag. Even if they deny it, it doesn’t come from nowhere.” Yet, coming from LR, the resigning Minister of the Interior, Gérald Darmanin, suggested to the Renaissance deputies to set conditions for participation in the government, with a commitment from future ministers to resign if they are not respected.
What will their red lines be? Many MPs will be monitoring the new government’s attitude towards the National Rally’s positions, particularly on immigration. “What matters are the texts. I do not mix my position with that of the RN. (…) And if, tomorrow, LR wants to come back to the AME [l’aide médicale de l’Etat], it will be without me”assures Stéphane Travert. “In no case would I vote for a text that was negotiated by the RN”supports a resigning minister. “I am in a territory where without immigration, there is no economy, where we do not harvest cucumbers, tomatoes or lily of the valley”explains a member of parliament.
“Either Michel Barnier understands our positions on immigration, or he follows the RN’s program and closes everything, and that’s the end.”
A Renaissance MPto franceinfo
In the coming months, Renaissance is not immune to new divisions, notably with the election for the party presidency in November, which should see Gabriel Attal and Elisabeth Borne face off. “The left-right divide is back in the ascendancy. People from the right wing of the old majority can identify with Barnier’s message and they have made this known on social networks,” notes Stéphane Travert with a hint of bitterness. “It is always the same basic left-right conflict that reappears in various forms, whether it is the Attal-Darmanin conflict or the pro and anti-Barnier”observes a Renaissance executive.
Two MPs have already announced their departure from Renaissance on Monday to join Horizons, Edouard Philippe’s group. Executives from Ensemble pour la République are talking about “internal battles” related to the distribution of posts in the Assembly and “local issues” with the municipal elections planned for 2026. “For now, I believe there are no other threats of departure”reassures a member of parliament. But new tensions could shake the central bloc, particularly in the event of hesitation over the vote for a motion of censure against the future Barnier government. The deputies of the New Popular Front have promised to present one as soon as the parliamentary session resumes and the National Rally is letting the threat hang in the air. “We must avoid the trap. The electorate expects us to be constructive and would not forgive us for instability.believes a deputy close to the president. But we also have to assert ourselves as a group on our red lines and not suffer the sequence.” A ridge line that the Renaissance deputies are condemned to take.