President Emmanuel Macron is set to appoint his new Prime Minister by Friday evening, after a new governmental crisis in Paris.
If anyone is looking for a short-term job, there is a prestigious position available in Paris, with all the perks included, joked journalists from Politico. The Élysée Palace announced that President Emmanuel Macron will designate a new Prime Minister by Friday evening. This person will replace Sébastien Lecornu, whose government resigned on Monday after only 14 hours of existence. His total term as head of the Executive was 27 days.
The new Prime Minister will be the sixth during Macron's current term, which began in 2022. His main mission: negotiating a budget capable of reducing France's deficit, in a political climate dominated by tensions and the fear that the second-largest economy in the eurozone has become ungovernable.
The Team Captain
Jean-Louis Borloo, former minister and former owner of the Valenciennes football club, is one of the options being discussed in Élysée circles. "He won't be the man who needs to ask the president for permission to go to the bathroom," said a government advisor anonymously.
Like Macron, Borloo comes from the political center but is not part of the presidential team. As the founder of the small centrist party UDI, he is perceived as much more independent. According to a parliamentary advisor from Macron's party, Borloo "can talk to the left" and will not be seen as a "lieutenant" of the president.
However, the former minister withdrew from the political forefront in 2014, and the Socialists, who could decide the fate of the future government, show signs that they may not accept him. Conservative leader Bruno Retailleau described Borloo, 74, on Thursday as "disruptive" and neither left-wing nor close to Macron - essential criteria, he says, to support a new prime minister.
The Warrior Monk
Sébastien Lecornu swears he is not interested, but rumors persist that he could once again aim for the position of Prime Minister. He resigned on Monday morning, triggering the current crisis, but Macron later tasked him with finding a solution within 48 hours.
At 39, Lecornu has held discussions with parties from all sides and has shown optimism in his rare public appearances. In a televised interview on Wednesday, he stated that he is working on a budget proposal that could serve as a basis for parliamentary debates.
Suspicions about a possible reappointment increased after Le Parisien wrote that Lecornu could be reconfirmed, but his team denied it. In the same interview, he rejected the idea, saying, "I am a warrior monk, my mission is over."
Many analysts tend to believe him: Lecornu is seen as a loyalist to Macron, and bringing him back to the Hôtel Matignon - when the president's popularity is at a historic low - would mean adding fuel to the current political fire.
The Opposition Colleague
Could the left finally get the chance to lead France? After the collapse of three center and center-right governments in a single year, there is talk that Macron could choose a left-wing Prime Minister.
Boris Vallaud, leader of the socialist group in the National Assembly, is among those being considered. He was a contemporary of Macron at the prestigious École Nationale d’Administration and they worked together at the Élysée Palace under the presidency of François Hollande before Macron formed his own centrist party.
Vallaud stated that the Socialists are "willing to take over governance with a change in political direction." However, this is precisely the issue: Macron does not want a Prime Minister who veers off his agenda. Conservatives have announced that they will not support a left-wing Prime Minister, which would make a socialist government dependent on the tacit support of centrists and the radical party France Unbowed.
A Dash of Draghi
Another option could be appointing a technocratic Prime Minister, in the style of Mario Draghi, capable of reducing tensions and imposing a compromise.
Pierre Moscovici, the current President of the Court of Auditors, could be the right man. A former socialist, Moscovici has an impressive resume: he was a European Commissioner and a minister in both François Hollande's and Jacques Chirac's governments.
In his current position, he has a detailed understanding of France's financial situation and would know where to cut to reduce the deficit. An additional advantage: his term at the Court of Auditors ends at the end of the year, making him available.
G.P.