The appointment of Edouard Philippe, LR mayor of Le Havre and Juppéist representative of the moderate right, strikes like a bolt of lightning in the Les Républicains camp.
The formation of the first government of President Macron’s tenure will need to transcend political parties, from the left to the right, including the center and civil society.
Whether in a logic of opening up or recomposition, the new President of the Republic, Emmanuel Macron, is attempting to attract part of the right to secure a parliamentary majority.
With the left, he has already succeeded, and the Socialist Party is now divided “in partes tres” as Julius Caesar wrote in “De bello gallico” in reference to Gaul: leftist rebels, post-Hollande social-democrats, and Valls’ social-liberals.
He still needs to do the same with the LR/UDI alliance.
In fact, the Republicans, aiming for a parliamentary majority and subsequent cohabitation, are cornered by their contradictions and risk splitting into two separate groups in the future National Assembly.
As for the UDI, its elected officials will say yes to the best offer in terms of convenience, sometimes personal.
François Baroin, the head of this campaign who believed he could represent both “wings,” risks seeing his authority compromised.
How can one campaign against a government whose Prime Minister originates from their own camp and who will propose measures not far from their own?
Criticizing François Hollande was easy; this is a bit more complicated.
Moreover, the two other opposition parties have already seized the situation: the National Front has revived the slogan “UMPS,” while “Comandante Méluche” sees himself as the leader of the left opposition!
This situation is reflected at the territorial level where the same divide is found as at the national level between the Juppé-Le Maire supporters and the supporters of Wauquiez, among whom Eric Ciotti is at the forefront.
@ECiotti: I regret that @EPhilippe_LH trades his convictions and participates in the operation of destabilization of the right and center led by Macron
Our political family will never sacrifice its convictions to be in tune with the times. Head towards the #legislatives2017 with @francoisbaroin !
Before stigmatizing Emmanuel Macron’s choice: “The French demand more than ever clarity and efficiency to fight against Islamist terrorism, reduce unemployment, and insecurity. Emmanuel Macron prefers political maneuvers worthy of the Fourth Republic. He wants to appear modern but recycles old political methods. This maneuver is just a ploy.”
Completely contrasting music comes from Christian Estrosi, author of a pro-Macron campaign in the second round of great intensity.
@cestrosi: Good luck to @EPhilippe_LH. I count on him to implement our values and ideas. #PrimeMinister #Matignon
Moreover, Christian Estrosi is among the twenty or so LR elected officials who signed an appeal to their party. “Our political families from the right and center must respond to the outstretched hand of the President of the Republic.”
This text evokes “a political act of considerable scope.”
“The right and center must measure the political transformation taking place before their eyes. Rather than anathemas, caricatures, and exclusions, we solemnly ask our political family to rise to the level of our country’s situation and the expectations of the French people.”
The manifest opposition between the two strongmen of the Azurian right will inevitably lead to a general moment of clarification and choice of alliances by local elected officials who today juggle between the two, declaring to each that they are on his side.
All this is not healthy…
