Two days after the change of tenant in Matignon, Emmanuel Macron and Gabriel Attal continue, this Thursday, January 11, 2024, their delicate mission of forming the new government. The vagueness reigning over the casting and composition, against a backdrop of multiple speculations. Should we expect a Council of Ministers before the end of the week? To do this, you first need a government team.
The unveiling of this new team this Thursday afternoon cannot be ruled out, according to a source from the presidential entourage for TF1. According to another close source, the president and his new Prime Minister could opt for a two-stage announcement: a first rapid salvo concerning the full ministers, a second, intervening later, and completing the cast with the various secretaries of State. Lots of changes to expect? “If it has to have a bit of a punch, there have to be entrances and exits,” explains an executive advisor to Le Figaro.
The new Prime Minister was accompanied by the Minister of the Interior Gérald Darmanin. He “is assured of staying in Beauvau as he wished” after having “had an exchange with the president who reaffirmed his confidence in him”, assures a source close to the Minister of the Interior.
After seeing his name circulated for Matignon, Sébastien Lecornu could keep the army portfolio. Bruno Le Maire, another government heavyweight, is also given to remain at Bercy, as is Eric Dupond-Moretti to Justice. Without absolute certainty, however, on the merits of these predictions, because names are circulating for all or almost all the ministries.
The youngest Prime Minister of the Fifth Republic, Gabriel Attal, is he keen to maintain these important ministers, who were already in place even before the arrival of his predecessor at Matignon, Elisabeth Borne? Response in the next few hours, or even the next few days.
Among the names circulating to join the government is that of Christine Lagarde, president of the European Central Bank (ECB), for the Quai d’Orsay. Among the potential changes in ministerial skills, that of Aurore Bergé, who could move from Solidarities to National Education to replace Gabriel Attal. The executive must find a difficult balance for the composition of a government team that some would like to be tighter, like François Bayrou or Edouard Philippe.
