Former Prime Minister Edouard Philippe spoke about the choice of Matignon's new tenant and his vision of the future “coexistence” with Emmanuel Macron.
Live from Reims, where the elected representatives of the Horizons party gathered on Wednesday, September 11, the leader of the party, Edouard Philippe, gave an interview to Benjamin Duhamel, on BFMTV.
The former prime minister did not hide that for him, “the election of Michel Barnier is a very good choice”, recalling that he asked for this coalition with the Republicans (LR) the day after the legislative elections in 2022, Edouard Philippe specified that he would support the future government to the extent that one does not end up “undoing everything that[ils] contributed to the achievement”, about his achievements at the head of governments between 2017 and 2020 (labour market reform, apprenticeships, etc.)
On pension reform, and here, caution from Edouard Philippe, he will support improvements as long as they respect the “general philosophy” of the text.
A president presides, a government governs
Not knowing exactly whether the country is moving towards cohabitation or coalition, nor what the terms of the “pretended coexistence” requested by Emmanuel Macron would be, Benjamin Duhamel asked the former tenant of Matignon for his opinion on the future sharing of power. “Institutions will always work better if the president presides and the government governs,” he said. For him, “the president does not inaugurate the chrysanthemums, but he does not govern either.”
Edouard Philippe then tried to avoid the “are you still in the presidential camp” question, explaining that it was, in fact, blown up when the National Assembly was dissolved. “I don't agree with everything,” he commented on Emmanuel Macron's decisions, “but I always tell him clearly,” he says.
“I will not apologize for wanting to transform the country with the President of the Republic,” assures Edouard Philippe. Even today, he says he is “at the head of a party that, together with Renaissance, MoDem and LR will try to stabilize the political situation”. The future government will have to “convince the French that it is making the right decisions for the future of the country, in the delicate situation in which it finds itself.”