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Michel Barnier: the new Prime Minister in the crosshairs since his appointment
Michel Barnier: the new Prime Minister in his sights since his appointment
(France 2)
Michel Barnier, the new Prime Minister, continues his consultations with members of the political class. He received François Bayrou on Sunday, September 8 at Matignon. Many questions are still being asked regarding his appointment as head of government.
On Thursday, September 5, Michel Barnier closed a long series of presidential consultations. He was appointed because of the Élysée’s strategy of testing potential prime ministerial names from different parties. Two selection criteria had to be met: not to provoke immediate censure and to have the ability to unite. The first candidate to suffer this, Lucie Castet, denounced a denial of democracy. Two hypotheses then held the rope: Xavier Bertrand (LR) and Bernard Cazeneuve (PS). Problem: for the Élysée, both would have been censored once appointed. The RN rejects Bertrand and the NFP rejects de Cazeneuve.
“Barnier’s strength is his age. He will not be a presidential candidate”explains a Macronist. Despite this asset for the presidential camp, Michel Barnier, 73, does not like being dictated to. If the LR right seems to be satisfied overall by this choice, questions remain especially on the left side. The new Prime Minister will have to know how to compromise to prove that he knows how to unite.
