The beginning of the political course in France has a protagonist and it is not exactly the president, Emmanuel Macron. It is the Minister of the Interior, Gérald Darmanin, who is in the center of focus. He does not hide his ambitions in the face of the 2027 presidential elections (when Macron will not be able to run for a third term) and this Sunday he organized an act to kick off the course more typical of a candidate for the Elysee than of a government minister. .
In the botanical garden of Tourcoing (north of the country), which closed for the occasion, Darmanin surrounded himself with some of his allies: a thousand supporters, parliamentarians and several ministers, including the Minister of Labor, Olivier Dussopt, as well as leaders of the Republicans, his former party. Darmanin played at home, as he was twice elected mayor of Tourcoing.
The Frenchman gave a speech focused on and addressed to the popular classes, “normal people who need security” and who “do not feel sufficiently represented.” His living conditions are “a great matter of concern,” said the head of the Interior, who pointed out that “the voice of a minister is worth that of a worker.” He also added that “we must take seriously the feeling that parents in poor neighborhoods have.”
The act was joined at the last minute by the Prime Minister, Elisabeth Borne. Darmanin aspired to succeed her in the reshuffle of the government that Macron carried out in July, but decided to keep her in office. Some ministers, those closest to Macron, believe that placing Darmanin as head of government would have been taking the Executive too far to the right.
The decision to organize this rally has been criticized by the opposition and has made the presidential majority uncomfortable, since it is not typical of a minister, but more of someone who is campaigning. Borne was not expected to participate in this act, but he joined at the last minute, which many understand as a way of marking territory. The two arrived at Tourcoing’s garden together and he said he was “very honored” to have her there. “I confess to you that I didn’t plan to spend this last weekend here, but I was invited by Gérald,” she said.
In several interviews given in recent days, Gérald Darmanin has made no secret of his ambitions when asked directly if he will stand as a candidate in the next presidential election. “The fact is that, within four years, the victory of Madame (Marine) Le Pen is quite probable. Faced with this, we will need a candidate,” he slipped in an interview with La Voix du Nord last Thursday.
“What interests me is not to analyze what happened in 2017 or 2022. What worries me now is to see what will happen in 2027,” he said in another interview days before. Darmanin believes that it is necessary to “connect with the popular classes”, the same ones who vote for Le Pen. The far-right candidate lost the last presidential elections against Macron, but by less margin than in the previous ones (2017).
There are still four years left for the electoral appointment and, without Macron, his side is orphaned as a candidate. According to polls, if elections were held today, Marine Le Pen would win. This threat is very present and Borne herself said: “I will never allow the extreme right to come to power.”
The Minister of the Interior has been in the media spotlight for a week. On Friday he was in Nîmes, where in recent days there have been several shootings linked to drug trafficking. Two people have died, including a 10-year-old boy, the victim of a stray bullet. Security is one of his electoral assets; also that of Le Pen. Darmanin played a key role in containing the wave of riots that shook France two months ago, following the death of a young man shot by a police officer in a Parisian suburb. His role will be key in the celebration of the Olympic Games to be held in Paris next summer. Security is one of the biggest concerns. Yesterday, Darmanin insisted that this “is the first social policy.”
If some opposition parties have criticized his attitude, the one who has publicly supported Darmanin is former president Nicolas Sarkozy, who has just published a book in which he says that Darmanin is one of the “most promising” leaders. “Until now the facts have largely proved him right. Will he know how to go through another stage, the last stage, the one that leads to the Presidency of the Republic. I wish so because he has obvious qualities.”
