Reshuffle: Borne, Denormandie, Lecornu… Macron returns Matignon’s Rubik’s cube

If the Elysée highlighted in particular “the bad weather in Pas-de-Calais and the arrival of the cold wave” to justify this Sunday tête-à-tête, the beginnings of the creation of a new government architecture are taking shape .

Emmanuel Macron has been examining his options for Matignon for days, and two candidates have emerged: Julien Denormandie and Sébastien Lecornu. Although a continuation of Elisabeth Borne cannot be ruled out.

“Everything is possible… even nothing”, summarizes a close friend of Emmanuel Macron, at a time when the president is phosphorus on the recomposition of his team after having consulted extensively this week with Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire for Edouard Philippe, via François Bayrou.

The latter estimated on Sunday on BFMTV that a “change” was “necessary”.

Those close to the Head of State promise a quick response whatever happens, when Macron had made a habit of letting time run out during previous reshuffles.

One influential adviser suggests that the president is “crystallising” and that “things will change at the beginning of the week, probably with a new Prime Minister on Monday”.

Except… finding a resident in Matignon requires subtle calculations and therefore “there isn’t much choice”, notes a historic walker. Enough to invite ministers to exercise extreme caution, like Olivier Dussopt (Labour) who on Sunday on CNews/Europa 1 refused to “play hat-trick”.

According to various sources within the executive, the list seems to have been narrowed down to two names: “Lecornu and Denormandie”, says a loyalist of the head of state, even if “with the president it is always unpredictable”.

This duel revives within the majority the ancient dispute between the former Macronists, of which Julien Denormandie is a member, and the right-wing protesters, such as Sébastien Lecornu.

The first, 43 years old, has been sailing for a decade following Emmanuel Macron, with whom he almost launched a start-up in 2014 before leaving for Bercy as deputy chief of staff of the then Minister of Economy.

Engineer of En marche!, flagship of the 2017 presidential campaign, Denormandie then headed the Ministry of Housing, then Agriculture, before reorienting himself in 2022 to the private sector. While confiding to the visitors that he would not have been able to refuse Matignon if the opportunity had arisen.

For his part, Sébastien Lecornu wove his web after joining Macron in 2017, coming from the Republicans (LR), like two other former prime ministers, Edouard Philippe and Jean Castex.

Minister of the Armed Forces at just 37 years of age, after having served in the Overseas Territories and Communities, Lecornu established himself as one of the political advisors to the Head of State, with several elective mandates (president of the Eure departmental council, senator , Mayor…). A more maneuverable profile, at a time when we have to deal with a relative majority in the Assembly and a Senate, dominated by the right, which has revived.

However, Elisabeth Borne “is not doomed: everyone says their funeral oration… but we move a little quickly”, warns a close friend of the head of state.

The current prime minister is however “damaged”, said the leader of the LFI deputies Mathilde Panot on Sunday, for whom Emmanuel Macron still has “only bad choices” to replace her, failing to initiate a real “break” in the political line.

After deciding on his prime minister, Emmanuel Macron will attack the entire government, with two slogans: “Reduce and renew”. A great project, but “on an economic and financial level, stability in these times of great upheavals has many virtues”, Bruno Le Maire, in charge in Bercy since 2017, tells France 3.

2024-01-07 19:47:00
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