PM pick Barnier seen as 'Macron-compatible'
Visit our website:
http://www.france24.com
Like us on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/FRANCE24.English
Follow us on Twitter:
https://twitter.com/France24_en
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00Well, let's cross live now to the Elysee Palace.
00:03That's the seat of President Macron.
00:05Our reporter Claire Pacala is there for us.
00:08So, Claire, it has been weeks of deadlock.
00:11We do now finally have white smoke.
00:13We have the name of Michel Barnier.
00:16Tell us why you think the president has gone for him.
00:22Well, to some extent, at least, Michel Barnier
00:25is seen as being Macron compatible.
00:28He's a right-wing politician from the Les Républicains party.
00:31He's not an extreme.
00:33He's not on the far right.
00:35And it's seen unlikely that he would try to totally unpick
00:39seven years worth of reforms and policies that Emmanuel Macron
00:42has put in place since he became president.
00:45Crucially as well, it was seen that Michel Barnier was the most likely,
00:49although it's not a guarantee,
00:51but the most likely to get the support of Parliament,
00:54because that really is the question.
00:56He needs the support of Parliament,
00:57because if he doesn't get it,
00:58well, then members of Parliament can simply vote to overthrow him
01:02in a vote of no confidence.
01:04The question is, though,
01:06who exactly in Parliament will support Michel Barnier?
01:10He'll have his Les Républicains, the right party.
01:12He'll have centrists from Emmanuel Macron's party,
01:15although they've already made a statement.
01:17The Renaissance Party has made a statement saying
01:19they won't be writing Michel Barnier a blank check.
01:22But of course, to some extent,
01:24he's going to have to rely on the far right party of Marine Le Pen.
01:28And if Michel Barnier finds himself relying on that party,
01:33well, is that really a desirable situation for him?
01:36Because while Marine Le Pen's party could give support initially,
01:40that support could be taken away quickly
01:43at any point throughout his tenure as prime minister.
01:46And it is worth, Claire, dwelling a little bit or analysing
01:50a little bit the reaction from the left today.
01:53As I said at the beginning of the programme,
01:55it was that left wing bloc, the New Popular Front,
01:58that won the most seats in Parliament after the elections in July.
02:03But we do not have a politician from the left for prime minister.
02:08As you say, he's a figure who's more likely to work with the national rally.
02:12And Jean-Luc Mélenchon already saying, look, he feels the election has been stolen.
02:18Certainly, Jean-Luc Mélenchon is an influential voice.
02:21It's worth noting that that left wing bloc, the New Popular Front,
02:24that was cobbled together hastily just after Emmanuel Macron announced
02:29that he was holding snap parliamentary elections before the summer.
02:32That New Popular Front spans a pretty wide part of the political spectrum
02:37from the far left, Jean-Luc Mélenchon, all the way up the Greens,
02:41the communists, the socialists as well.
02:43So it remains to be seen.
02:45Michel Barnier may at times find himself trying to reach out
02:48to the more centrist socialist politicians
02:51if he can't get the support from the far right on certain policies.
02:54Certainly, Michel Barnier is going to try to build bridges,
02:58build coalitions, make friends wherever he can.
03:01He is known as being a tough negotiator.
03:03He drove a hard bargain.
03:05That's certainly how he's seen in the UK.
03:07Drove a hard bargain in those Brexit negotiations
03:09when he was the top leader of the EU.
03:12But can he drive that kind of a hard bargain?
03:14Can he get the support of France's very divided parliament?
03:18Well, that's what we'll be looking at now
03:20in the next few weeks and months to come.