This is starting to look like a bad soap opera. President of the public establishment of Versailles, Catherine Pégard, 68, who has completed her three statutory terms, is desperately trying, and with the support of the Elysée, to play the extensions.
This former journalist at Pointwho became an adviser to President Nicolas Sarkozy, was appointed by him to head the royal estate in 2011. In 2016, she was renewed for the first time by François Hollande, then again in 2019 by Emmanuel Macron.
On March 4, 2021, reached the age limit (1), she became de facto president “interim”. Then her last mandate having ended in October 2022, one could have imagined that she would then return the keys to the castle…
Except that this fine policy, which was able to welcome President Macron and Vladimir Poutine to Versailles, then last year the summit of European heads of state, is greatly appreciated by the President of the Republic. The latter likes to spend discreet weekends at the Lantern Pavilion, on the royal estate.
Should Captain Pgard let go of the helm of this great ship, battered by financial losses during the pandemic, when it must now set sail for the 2024 Olympics to host the equestrian events? These arguments must have weighed on the Élysée, which is increasing its attempts to try to maintain the president of the castle in her functions, but so far without success.
A draft decree challenged by the Council of State in December 2022
On December 21, we learned from letter A that a draft decree had been submitted to the Council of State, lifting all the restrictions of the decree of October 22, 2015 governing the renewal of directors of public cultural establishments. . This new text would have pushed back the legal retirement age to 70, removed the limit on the number of successive terms of office (currently set at three, the first of five years, renewable for two times three years) and introduced the possibility of completing a mandate even beyond the legal age.
Enough to allow Catherine Pgard to stay for a long time at Versailles, and perhaps other cultural leaders to see themselves kept in post like Philippe Bélaval, 67, then president of the Center des monuments nationaux… The Council of State has however alerted the Élysée to the legal fragility of such a text which “for lack of a sufficiently characterized reason for the general interest” could be attacked for ” abuse of power “.
Legislative jumper slipped into Olympics law
Appreciated by the Macron couple, Philippe Bélaval was appointed “cultural adviser” at the Elysée in early January and has just left the presidency of the CMN. As for the fate of Catherine Pgard, the Elysée believed to find the parade by slipping a legislative horseman in the law on the Olympic Games. This amendment, brought to the Senate on January 25 by François Patriat, president of the Macronist group, was to make it possible to extend until the end of December 2024 the mandate of a manager of a public establishment to host events of the Olympic Games.
Alas, Wednesday, January 25, the “rider” missed his show jumping. Criticized by many senators, like the socialist Sylvie Robert denouncing a “made of the prince” or the environmentalist Daniel Breuiller reminding President Macron of his promise of a “exemplary republic”this amendment had to be withdrawn after a heated debate.
And now ?
Will the Élysée seek yet another legal trick to extend the presidency? “interim” of Catherine Pegard at Versailles? Or resolve to finally find him a successor? The problem is that, for more than two years, many candidates have declared themselves, then become discouraged.
Jean d’Haussonville, who has just left the presidency of the National Estate of Chambord on December 31, a favorite candidate for the Elysée, then dismissed, will he return to the race? The name of Martin Bethenod, former director of the Palazzo Grassi, the museum of the Pinault collection in Venice, has also recently circulated… Difficult in any case for the Élysée, as for the ministry of culture, here relegated to the background, of procrastinate any longer.