Arthur de Laborde, edited by Thibault Nadal
modified to
7:43 a.m., April 22, 2022
Officially, Emmanuel Macron’s mandate will end on May 13. And even if he is reappointed, Jean Castex has announced that he will present his resignation to Emmanuel Macron in the days following the second round. The Prime Minister sees in it a respect for “republican use” even if there is no rule on the subject.
This would be unheard of for several decades. If re-elected, Emmanuel Macron will immediately have a parliamentary majority and a government in his own camp. However, Jean Castex will immediately submit his resignation as well as that of his team of ministers. “If the president is re-elected, the Republican custom is that, in the days that follow, the Prime Minister resigns his government. I will comply with this Republican custom,” he explained.
Castex wants to stay for a “new impetus” before the legislative elections
This “courtesy resignation” as it is sometimes nicknamed is not compulsory in the texts, but it has indeed been a republican tradition since 1879. Nevertheless, this tradition has so far only been respected in phase of cohabitation, that is to say when the Prime Minister was from a political side opposed to that of the re-elected President. However, this will not be the case if Emmanuel Macron wins.
In reality, Jean Castex puts forward a political argument to explain his desire to pack up so quickly: to give, he says, a “new impetus” before the legislative elections.
He could stay if Le Pen is elected
Moreover, if Marine Le Pen is elected to the Élysée, the current Prime Minister has hinted that he could remain in office until the investiture ceremony which will take place on May 14 at the latest.