The new Prime Minister is trying to poach left-wing figures. But the task is proving difficult and the political cost too high for those who might be tempted.
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The rare pearl has not yet been found. Former minister Stéphane Le Foll, socialist MP Philippe Brun, Avignon mayor Cécile Helle… These political figures have in common that they are left-wing and have refused in recent weeks to join Michel Barnier’s government. However, the new Prime Minister had said to himself opened on September 6 on TF1, to welcome people into its team “of good will” and possibly “left-wing people”Thirteen days later, against a backdrop of tensions between Les Républicains and the Macronist camp, Matignon has still not presented its government team and the search for left-wing personalities is proving complex.
For almost two weeks, the list of those who said “no” keeps getting longer. This is particularly the case for the mayor of Saint-Ouen (Seine-Saint-Denis), Karim Bouamrane, but also for the from Romainville, François Dechy, according to information from franceinfo. On Thursday, the name of the former socialist deputy Didier Migaud was cited by parliamentary sources at France Télévisions for a position in Justice. The person concerned did not react, but the number of refusals shows the difficulty for Michel Barnier, from the Republicans, to open up to the left.
“Macronism has exhausted all the opportunists, on both the left and the right, for seven years now”tackles the ecologist deputy Benjamin Lucas, while Emmanuel Macron had seduced many socialists in 2017, like the former Prime Minister Gabriel Attal or the former Minister of Health Olivier Véran.
These refusals are first and foremost a matter of political calculation for potential ministers. The future Barnier government, largely in the minority in the National Assembly, could have a very short life if a motion of censure were voted by the New Popular Front (NFP) and the National Rally (RN). “In terms of political future, what is the point for someone to join a government that only lasts one month?asks socialist MP Arthur Delaporte. The cPolitical risk is strong for those who would leave. UA mayor would, for example, risk losing his municipality in the next elections.” “Who will go on board the sinking ship of Macronism?”wondered an ecologist elected official to franceinfo on September 11, while a close friend of the PS boss Olivier Faure predicted that “Michel Barnier does not [pourrait] recruit only old-fashioned, second-rate people on the left”.
Beyond individual careers, the question of the political line defended by Michel Barnier also arises. “Being on the left, I don’t see how we can be led by someone who embodies the right and who proposes zero immigration or who has not called for a Republican blockade.” against the far right in the second round of the legislative elections, whispers Benjamin Lucas. The former minister and European Commissioner is known for his conservative positions, which he notably defended during the right-wing primary in 2021. A vision that is difficult to reconcile with that of the New Popular Front.
“How can you support someone who is implicitly supported by Marine Le Pen?”Arthur Delaporte is still surprised, while the RN has promised not to censure the next government immediately, unlike the NFP. Participating in a Barnier government would even be “the compromise”according to Karim Bouamrane.
An attitude that does not surprise in the ranks of Macronie. “This left-wing person, does he know what he will have to do in this government? I was called twice to join governments and I knew what the road map was.”judges the spokesperson for the resigning government, Prisca Thevenot.
“For someone who is called, it is legitimate to ask: ‘But for what policy?’ And the voters in the constituencies will ask themselves the same thing.”
Prisca Thevenot, spokesperson for the resigning governmentto franceinfo
Faced with a shortage of profiles on the left, the promise “opening” of the new Prime Minister could well remain a dead letter. The absence of a left-wing heavyweight in the future government would in any case come “clarify Emmanuel Macron’s opening to the right since his re-election”according to Bruno Cautrès, political scientist and researcher at Cevipof. In August, the President of the Republic had in fact refused to appoint Lucie Castets, the NFP candidate, to Matignon.
Despite internal tensions within the NFP, particularly over the question of whether or not to vote in favour of the dismissal of Emmanuel Macron, the alliance benefited from the refusal of its forces, in particular the socialists, to participate in a government with the LR and the Macronists. “The president had bet on the break-up of the left, before and after the legislative elections, but we have shown that we are holding firm”underlines Arthur Delaporte.
Beyond the fate of the future government, the left already has the next elections in mind. In the event of early legislative elections, and without a change in the voting method, the NFP parties will have every interest in maintaining their union to preserve their number of deputies. “IThere was a good score from Raphaël Glucksmann [aux européennes]a victory in seats in the legislative elections, we do not see what would be the strategic interest of the left in coming to help what remains of Macronism”summarizes Bruno Cautrès.