After 11 weeks of political paralysis, Prime Minister Michel Barnier’s government emerged on Saturday, September 21, with great difficulty and without any fanfare – for good reason. Born of an alliance between Emmanuel Macron’s bloc and the Les Républicains (LR, right) party, the new government, which has been tasked with salvaging what can be recovered from the disastrous June 9 dissolution, is both bloated and unbalanced.
The appointment of Bruno Retailleau, a representative of the Catholic and conservative right, as interior minister; and of Laurence Garnier, an opponent of same-sex marriage and the constitutionalization of abortion, are symbolic of this worrying shift. The unending negotiations that went into setting up the new team reveal the bitter battle for influence between Macron and Barnier.
The parties are making a comeback, negotiating their influence within the new government. In the absence of a formal coalition pact, the structure remains fragile and at the mercy of party leaders. The political message it sends runs counter to the hopes for change raised during the parliamentary election campaign.
The extent of the slap in the face leveled at the civic reflex, highlighted by one damning observation: The new government is at the mercy of the far-right Rassemblement National (RN) party. The deep democratic malaise overshadows the burning issues facing Barnier, reflecting the depth of the French political crisis.
Regardless of their party affiliations, none of the contenders for the 2027 presidential election has any interest in seeing the country suddenly collapse. This is also the measure of the depth of the French political crisis.