Emmanuel Macron did not insult Édouard Philippe and his troops against a backdrop of tensions caused by legislative elections, the head of the state’s entourage said on Friday, April 29th, bringing a firm and direct denial to this anecdote told by Europe 1. Whether true or not, this soap opera attests to the toxic atmosphere that exists between macronists and philippists in the run-up to the June elections.
In question, the claims of the mayor of Le Havre and his Horizons party, which would be far too high in the eyes of the tenant of the Élysée and, above all, revealing of the former Prime Minister’s personal ambitions, suspected internally of wanting to carve out a tailor-made political space in advance of the 2027 presidential election.
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As a result, the names of birds were swapped with “offs” interposed. This Monday, in Le Parisien, a close friend of the President of the Republic speaks of “taqiya philippiste,” referring to the practice of concealment advocated by jihadists before committing an attack. Vibe. How did they get there, though? A glance in the rearview mirror is required.
Despite his claimed and repeated loyalty to Emmanuel Macron, for whom he campaigned (in his own way) during the presidential election, Édouard Philippe gives the impression of playing his own music since the formation of his Horizons party in October. An independent party, on the other hand, requires funding and elected officials to establish itself on a long-term basis.
If Horizons can rely on a large number of mayors, some of whom are influential, such as Christian Estrosi (Nice) or Christophe Béchu (Angers), the legislative election deadline is critical because, theoretically, Emmanuel Macron is counting on an expanded majority on his right as well as his left for this second five-year term.
To ensure his party’s long-term viability, the former Prime Minister is banking on the nomination of at least 50 candidates, the number required for a political party to be eligible for public funding. With the possibility of electing approximately thirty deputies, Horizons would be able to form its own group.
However, it is precisely at this point that the mayor of Havre’s ambitions clashes with those of Emmanuel Macron, who, as evidenced by the episode of the slingers under François Hollande, has no desire for his action to be hampered by too loud sensitivities.
“We have to find something that binds us, without it being war. We must consolidate the centre and let the sensitivities express themselves, on the left as on the right, without it being a mess: a symphonic orchestra and not a cacophonic one”, schematized recently a minister familiar with the negotiations.
It is still necessary to define the area in which Édouard Philippe and his troops could benefit from this majority. An equation complicated further by the cohort of LR deputies ready to join Emmanuel Macron without necessarily passing through the airlock that Horizons could represent. Especially since Macronie has established a red line: no contact with outgoing deputies.
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However, the former Prime Minister’s party clearly does not intend to settle for the conquest of constituencies. In Morbihan’s 5th constituency, the current LREM deputy, Gwendal Rouillard, is not running for re-election.
Without waiting for national agreements, Ploemeur mayor Ronan Loas has announced his candidacy for Horizons, while another potential candidate, Lysiane Métayer, is seeking the presidential majority nomination with the support of Jean-Yves Le Drian.
