A cold? But what cold? After the thunderous declarations of François Bayrou in Le Parisien to refuse any “forced passage” on pensions (an initiative perceived as a warning sent to Emmanuel Macron, to whom he is nevertheless close), the boss of the MoDem and the President of the Republic however, do not intend to allow the idea that their relations would be degraded to prosper.
The proof. According to our information, Macron will go to Pau (Pyrénées-Atlantiques), in the town of Bayrou, on Friday September 30, for the inauguration of the new cultural center of Foirail. More specifically, in the old cattle market, where a performance hall and an arthouse cinema have sprung up. Officially, this trip does not intervene to try to stage the unity of the two men. “It has been planned for a long time”, assures a relative of the Head of State, confirming this presidential visit to the city of Henri IV. Nevertheless: “If the president had wanted to cancel his visit to show that he did not appreciate François’ exit too much in Le Parisien, he could also have canceled … which he did not do. It’s a sign, ”insists support from the mayor of Pau, not unhappy with this nice move.
“Bayrou, he pisses us off… but he says things”
With a relative majority in the hemicycle, and in a context marked by multiple crises, the host of the Élysée knows that he must in any case deal with this central ally… but sometimes cumbersome. Even more on the eve of the budget review, where the question of a forced passage on pensions via an amendment to the Social Security financing bill (PLFSS) is still not decided at the top of the ‘State.
Thursday, Jean-Paul Mattei, boss of the MoDem group in the Assembly, said that his deputies would vote “certainly” against if the government decided to go in that direction. A new round of pressure confirmed on Friday from Guidel (Morbihan), where Bayrou holds its summer universities for three days: “We expressed ourselves, with what we had of strength and capacity, so that the pension reform does not do not surreptitiously, blindly or by surprise”, he insisted, recalling that “the French have so many times already had the impression that they were not given the right to participate in the reflection … »
“Bayrou, he pisses us off… but he says things. It’s frontal, but it doesn’t displease Macron either, who has gotten used to his chin shots, ”breathes a relative. It is true that the two men have known each other for a long time and cultivate a real closeness. On March 18, it was in Pau that the head of state went to launch his presidential campaign.