François Bayrou consults to form his government before tackling his “Himalaya of difficulties”

François Bayrou, samedi soir, déjà au pied de son Himalaya.

The new Prime Minister is facing his first difficulties, the composition of a new government not being the least.

François Bayrou, during the handover of power with former Prime Minister Michel Barnier, could not have been more right on Friday evening when he admitted that he was fully aware of “the Himalayas of difficulties of all kinds that lie before us”.

Because he had barely uttered these few words marked by lucidity when the rating agency Moody’s almost immediately and rather unexpectedly lowered France’s long-term credit rating, dropping it from Aa2 to Aa3, estimating that French public finances would weaken considerably in the coming years.

Downgraded rating and cyclone Chido

Nothing dramatic in itself, since Moody’s is in fact aligning itself with the credit rating that the two other major rating agencies already attribute to France, roughly corresponding to a still very correct 17/20. But a downward revision never sends a very positive signal.

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This news digested, and before leaving to participate early Saturday evening in an interministerial crisis meeting relating to the passage of cyclone Chido in Mayotte, the new Prime Minister began his consultations, at Matignon, in order to build his government.

Pierre Moscovici, first visitor

Thus, this Saturday, Pierre Moscovici, first president of the Court of Auditors (and former socialist minister) was the first to be received by François Bayrou. They were followed by the president of the Assembly Yaël Braun-Pivet, then her counterpart in the Senate Gérard Larcher.

On the agenda of this program of visitors of the day after the appointment of Michel Barnier's successor, was also the governor of the Bank of France, François Villeroy de Galhau. A cycle of consultations preceding the composition of his government, which promises to be particularly difficult, given that the forces of the New Popular Front will not participate.

“Everyone refuses to go, outside the common core”

That is the whole difficulty of the task”, thus considered the Montpellier political scientist Michel Crespy.“In his government, he must put important personalities. This government must have a political sense. However, everyone refuses to go there, outside the common core. From there, the risk is to end up with a Barnier bis government, with more or less the same people in the same position, which would be a disappointment compared to Bayrou's choice.”

There remains one possibility, according to the Héraultais: “Go and look for old glories among some and others, those who are ready to go anywhere, in any conditions, to give the impression that he is managing to broaden. He can take unknowns otherwise…”

“The equation remains the same”

Because, notes Michel Crespy, “the equation always remains the same, in fact. We have three blocs, each of the three refusing to collaborate with one of the other two. So, we can't get out of it. Macron would have named the pope, who comes to Ajaccio, and it wouldn't have changed anything!”

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