Is disagreement simmering at the top of the executive? Elisabeth Borne’s call not to “rush things” with the unions on Friday cast doubt on her relationship with Emmanuel Macron, even if she quickly insisted on her perfect “alignment” with the head of state.
“We discuss regularly with the President of the Republic and I think that we share the same analysis: there is a need for appeasement in the country”, affirmed at the end of the morning the head of government during a trip to Rodez (Aveyron). “We are perfectly aligned on this subject”, she still wanted to defuse, specifying to share “the same objectives” with the head of state.
It is an “overinterpretation” from “from nothing”, the president and the head of government “say the same thing”, insisted those around him.
A clarification made necessary by the media turmoil aroused by remarks distilled Thursday to several media by the Prime Minister. This seemed to mark its difference with Emmanuel Macron by calling for respect “a period of convalescence” in the country after the pension crisis, and by stressing that it was not necessary “for the unions to come out humiliated from this sequence”.
With Le Monde, Le Point and RTL, the head of government pleaded “not to rush things”. “We have to let it rest. The country needs appeasement,” she said, after her Wednesday meeting with the inter-union, which ended in a statement of disagreements.
This conciliatory tone was immediately welcomed by CDFT General Secretary Laurent Berger, as it contrasts with the remarks made by the President of the Republic on Wednesday on the sidelines of a trip to China.
The head of state had, via his entourage, denied any “democratic crisis in France” and assured that he had a clear mandate to reform pensions. He had also once again questioned the CFDT, accused of not having proposed an alternative project, triggering the wrath of Laurent Berger who had asked Emmanuel Macron to “keep his nerves”.
“This morning’s message is more respectful than the one that came to us from China”, welcomed Friday morning on BFMTV and RMC the head of the first union in France, whose relations were particularly strained with Emmanuel Macron. On the other hand, there was “never a problem of respect” with the head of government, he added.
“We see that there are tensions within the executive,” said Simon Duteil, co-delegate of Solidaires, on BFMTV. Ms. Borne “talks about convalescence but we are not sick (…) We do not need to rest, we are not pancake batter”, he insisted.
Ms. Borne also seemed to step aside by calling for “a course”. “Before going to find allies to vote on the texts, it is important that we say where we want to go,” she argued. “We must give meaning and breath to the action. I’m not just there to administer the country.”
Unusually, from China, the entourage of the President of the Republic reacted quickly to the statements of the Prime Minister. “The President of the Republic coordinates with the Prime Minister. The course was given by the President of the Republic during his interview at 1 p.m. on France 2 and TF1. He asked the Prime Minister to receive the unions and work on a roadmap for the months to come”, firmly reminded the entourage.
Faced with the noise of possible dissension, the secretary general of the Renaissance presidential party Stéphane Séjourné put things into perspective.
“There is a temptation to bring up the Elysée against Matignon, to put corners between the executive. I am in contact with the two, I do not see any problems with the line and objectives” between the two he assured Franceinfo.
Both the Prime Minister and the President are “exactly on the same line: appease and move forward”, added government spokesman Olivier Véran, on the sidelines of a trip to Dijon. “The speech is not different, there is no distancing”.
The day after an 11th day of mobilization against the pension reform, around 200 demonstrators welcomed Ms. Borne to boos in front of the Rodez hospital, where she was on a visit to rural health.
The government and the unions are all waiting on Friday April 14 for the crucial decision of the Constitutional Council on the compliance of the pension reform. It will be preceded the day before by a 12th day of mobilization of the unions.
07/04/2023 15:59:08 – Rodez (France) (AFP) – © 2023 AFP
