New government under Macron: danger of censorship and upheaval at LR!

New government under Macron: danger of censorship and upheaval at LR!

Yesterday the time had come: in a two-hour conversation, Emmanuel Macron and Sébastien Lecornu decided on the composition of the new government. The aim is to create a stable budget for France while avoiding the threat of censorship. The new government is a potpourri of civil society actors as well as experienced and younger parliamentarians who are intended to help bring a breath of fresh air into the political structures. This is also intended to counteract tensions between the different political camps, which are characterized by new conflicts.

The nominations from the ranks of the Republicans (LR) in particular caused a stir. Gérald Darmanin remains Minister of Justice, while Rachida Dati (Culture), Philippe Tabarot (Transport), Annie Genevard (Agriculture) and Vincent Jeanbrun (Urban Development) have been appointed. These appointed members were immediately expelled from the party, which further inflamed the already tense atmosphere within the LR. According to Sud Ouest, Lecornu personally informed Bruno Retailleau of these nominations.

The challenges of the new government

The new perspective in the government also includes ministers from the Renaissance Party, including Amélie de Montchalin (Minister of State for Public Finance) and Roland Lescure (Bercy), as well as Maud Bregeon (government spokeswoman). New ministerial positions went to Naïma Moutchou (Horizons), who was appointed as Minister for Overseas, while Manuel Valls was not nominated again. Another exciting aspect is the appointment of Laurent Nunez, the former police chief of Paris, as interior minister.

The entire new government is composed of 11 ministers from Renaissance, 6 from LR, 4 from MoDem, 3 from Horizons, 1 from Liot and UDI and 8 from civil society. With this diversity, the government could be well positioned to tackle the challenges ahead, such as the upcoming budget talks. They are already meeting for the first working session today, while the Council of Ministers meets on Tuesday to discuss the draft budget (PLF) and social security (PLFSS).

A looming motion of no confidence

Connexion France A motion de censure is an instrument that must be initiated by at least 10% of the deputies of the Assemblée Nationale in order to be voted on. If there is a majority of 289 of the 577 MPs, the government will then have to resign.

After a motion de censorship was already rejected on September 29, 2023, which was dealt with as part of the draft law on financial planning for 2023 to 2027, it remains to be seen whether the new government will remain in place this time too or whether the opposition, as Mathilde Panot from LFI warns, will actually come to censorship. Olivier Faure from the Parti Socialiste has not yet commented on a possible non-censorship agreement, which increases the uncertainty.

The political landscape in France is always exciting. Whether the new government will rise to the challenges or face censorship remains to be seen. The coming days will be crucial – something is happening!