New government: portfolios, controversies, reactions, parity… a tense entry

Emmanuel Macron appointed on Saturday, September 21, 2024, the 39 members of Michel Barnier's government, which leans to the right, the result of a fragile coalition between the presidential camp and Les Républicains in an attempt to end the most serious political crisis of the Fifth Republic.

The National Rally, which could bring down this new executive if it adds its votes to those of the left, which has already promised it censure, immediately denounced “the return of Macronism through a back door”. “It is therefore a government that has no future”, reacted its president Jordan Bardella.

Highly anticipated names

The arrival at the Interior Ministry of the leader of the Republican senators Bruno Retailleau, with very firm positions on immigration, has crystallized the discontent of the Macronists and the MoDem. Especially since he is one of the only heavyweights in an executive composed of personalities who are relatively unknown to the public, and that the Prime Minister has barely managed to broaden towards the left.

Another personality with conservative positions, Laurence Garnier, expected to be in charge of Family, was finally appointed to Consumer Affairs after two days of controversy.

Bruno Retailleau is the main representative of the party of the new Prime Minister, appointed 16 days ago to Matignon, with Annie Genevard, who inherits the crisis-ridden sector of Agriculture.

Budget attached to Matignon

The other big names, Sébastien Lecornu and Rachida Dati, who came from LR but have already joined the president, are also the only two to remain in their positions, respectively the Armed Forces and Culture.

Among the rare survivors are the MoDem Jean-Noël Barrot, promoted to Foreign Affairs, as well as the Macronists Catherine Vautrin, who is moving to Territories, and Agnès Pannier-Runacher, to Ecological Transition and Energy.

At Bercy, it is an inexperienced Macronist, Antoine Armand, who becomes Minister of Economy, Finance and Industry. Public Accounts are returned to former MP Laurent Saint Martin but he will be directly attached to Matignon, while the preparation of the 2025 budget, which has already been delayed by an unprecedented amount, is considered the number one priority in a context of budgetary slippage and sluggish growth.

Among the newcomers, the main surprise is Renaissance MP Anne Genetet for Education, a priority of Emmanuel Macron in which she is not considered an expert.

The MoDem Geneviève Darrieussecq becomes Minister of Health, another government priority, and the LR François-Noël Buffet inherits the Overseas Territories, while the crisis in New Caledonia is in the impasse and Martinique is facing an outbreak of violence.

The only catch from the left: Didier Migaud becomes Minister of Justice. But the former socialist deputy has left active politics since 2010.

Paritaire

Michel Barnier preferred to keep potential candidates for the 2027 presidential election at a distance, including outgoing Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin and LR MP leader Laurent Wauquiez.

The new team, which gives pride of place to the Macronist Renaissance party, is strictly gender-balanced, composed of 19 full ministers, 15 deputy ministers and five secretaries of state. It will meet with Emmanuel Macron on Monday at 3:00 p.m. for its first Council of Ministers.

Three and a half months after the controversial dissolution of the National Assembly, almost eleven weeks after the second round of legislative elections that resulted in a country without a majority, and 67 days after the resignation of Gabriel Attal's team whose ministers remained in charge of current affairs, France finally has a fully functioning government.

But the center-right team, which its main shareholders are reluctant to even call “coalition”, is immediately marked by the tensions between Michel Barnier and the “central bloc” of President Macron, who had governed unchallenged for seven years.

The bad mood remains in Macronie, particularly within the left wing, and in the MoDem, which left doubts hanging until the end about its participation. The cause, a team considered too right-wing and whose program remains unclear.

Ahead of his general policy statement on October 1, Michel Barnier, 73, known for having negotiated the United Kingdom's exit on behalf of the European Union during Brexit, has only set out vague priorities.

Among them, improving the “standard of living” and public services, the “control” immigration, "the economic attractiveness of France", reduction of the "ecological debt" and "control of public finances". A question mark remains over taxes, which will not increase for “the middle classes”.

Even Horizons, the party of Edouard Philippe, who was enthusiastic when he was appointed, did not hide the fact that it felt cheated with only one full minister, Paul Christophe, at Solidarités.

“Government of losers”

Faced with these hesitations, Emmanuel Macron publicly urged his allies on Friday to "help" the Prime Minister to form his government.

Now that this is done, the hardest part remains: governing together, without an absolute majority, and with parties determined to maintain their freedom to vote on several key issues.

The New Popular Front, which came out on top in the legislative elections but far from an absolute majority, claimed to govern and promised to oppose the government with all its might.

Several thousand left-wing supporters demonstrated Saturday afternoon in Paris against the Macron-Barnier tandem, at the call of associations, student, environmental and feminists.

The leader of La France insoumise Jean-Luc Mélenchon called on Saturday to get rid of "as soon as possible" of this "government of the losers of the legislative elections", which according to him has "neither legitimacy nor future", particularly criticizing "the worrying Minister of the Interior".

"The continuation of Macronism… for the worse", added the leader of the socialist deputies Boris Vallaud, who sees it as a "betrayal of the French vote".