It’s the return of the Xavier Bertrand hypothesis! In recent weeks, so many names have been circulating in the upper echelons of the State as potential Prime Minister that our heads are spinning. Lucie Castets, Thierry Beaudet, Xavier Bertrand, Bernard Cazeneuve, this little game of musical chairs is starting to get boring. However, according to an article published this Tuesday, September 3 by The ParisianEmmanuel Macron now seems to favor Xavier Bertrand for Matignon. This morning, the President reportedly contacted Gérard Larcher, President of the Senate, Laurent Wauquiez, leader of the Republicans, and Bruno Retailleau, leader of the LR senators, to discuss the nomination of the future Prime Minister. During this conversation, Emmanuel Macron reportedly clearly indicated that the candidacies of Thierry Beaudet, President of the Cese, and Bernard Cazeneuve were now ruled out.
The main reason for this situation is that the former Prime Minister under François Hollande, Bernard Cazeneuve, would not benefit from the support of his political family, the Socialist Party. This represents a high risk of censure for Emmanuel Macron and his future government. In addition, Bernard Cazeneuve would have expressed the wish to reverse the pension reform, which the President categorically refuses. Faced with these obstacles, Emmanuel Macron would now turn to the Xavier Bertrand option, despite a historically tense relationship between them, according to our colleagues. This choice, however, benefits from the support of Gérard Larcher, Laurent Wauquiez and Bruno Retailleau, but under certain conditions.
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Xavier Bertrand Prime Minister? Yes, but on two conditions…
According to information from the Parisianthe three politicians are said to have set strict conditions for Emmanuel Macron before approving Xavier Bertrand’s appointment to Matignon. First, they demand a guarantee that Bertrand and his government will not be censored by the various political parties in order to ensure “institutional stability”. However, this demand could prove complex to satisfy, given that the NFP is unlikely to accept a right-wing prime minister.
Secondly, they refuse to see Xavier Bertrand as a “cover-up”, a right-wing man who would implement left-wing policies. Their main concern is in particular pension reform. On this point, Gérard Larcher, Laurent Wauquiez, Bruno Retailleau and Emmanuel Macron seem to be on the same wavelength: they will firmly oppose any reform.
Marine Le Pen, ready to draw the motion of censure?
After receiving Xavier Bertrand at the Élysée Palace on Monday, September 2, Emmanuel Macron quickly set to work to assess the feasibility of this nomination. According to Le Figaro, the President has reportedly begun “informal” consultations to test Xavier Bertrand’s “uncensorability”, turning in particular to the National Rally (RN).
However, Emmanuel Macron faces a major obstacle. Marine Le Pen, leader of the RN, is firmly opposed to the nomination of Xavier Bertrand. Based in Hauts-de-France, a region led by Nicolas Sarkozy’s former minister, the daughter of Jean-Marie Le Pen considers this candidacy as a provocation. Her entourage has declared that if Xavier Bertrand were appointed to Matignon, the RN would “immediately” censure his nomination, because of his “odious behavior” towards the RN in recent years. “It is an insult to the 11 million RN voters,” a source told the Figaro.
Given that the RN and the NFP together represent more than the majority of the Assembly, Xavier Bertrand’s candidacy for Matignon seems extremely uncertain.
Article written in collaboration with 6Médias.
Photo credits: Christophe Clovis / Bestimage