All ready for the changing of the guard. An almost painless changing of the guard compared to the last five years: François Hollande leaves the Elysée and is replaced by his former finance minister (it was for two years, from 2014 to 2016) Emmanuel Macron, winner of the presidential elections a week ago with 66% of the preferences in the runoff with Marine Le Pen.
There had been some friction between the two and a year ago Macron had resigned, founding his own independent movement, En Marche!, which tarnished the Socialist Party and not only in the last elections: for this reason continuity is not absolute, but it is now difficult to imagine a centre-left in opposition in the next mandate. In any case that of Hollande, who will be remembered as one of the least appreciated of the fifth French Republic, expires at midnight tomorrow.
So on Sunday the president-elect will go to the Elysée, the official residence of the President of the French Republic located in the XNUMXth arrondissement of Paris, will then visit the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier near the Arc de Triomphe on the Champs-Elysees and finally the Paris Commune, at the Hotel de Ville. The French Constitution does not prescribe anything on the day of the handover, but the practice provides for "courtesy and decorum". In 2012 Hollande deviated slightly from the custom: after meeting with Nicolas Sarkozy, the new president did not accompany his predecessor as he left the Elysée but only as far as the door, letting Sarkozy go down the stairs alone with his wife.
Immediately afterwards, and that is already Sunday according to what happened in most of the previous settlements, it will be time for the appointment of the prime minister, pending the legislative elections of 11 and 18 June which will determine the composition of Parliament and therefore the possible appointment of a new prime minister, should the majority be different.
The total premier always sees François Bayrou in the running, president of the centrist MoDem movement, who had withdrawn his presidential candidacy to support that of Macron. However, the French press speaks of some recent disagreements between the two, given that according to Bayrou the president had promised to include 25% of MoDem candidates in the Republique En Marche lists for the next legislative ones, which instead would be a total of 38 instead of the 120 promised . Most of the places on the list were instead assigned to socialist exponents, testifying to at least a parliamentary continuity. Bayrou has been a deputy since 1986 and was education minister from 1993 to 1997.
Another eligible candidate is Jean-Yves Le Drian, 69-year-old Breton, defense minister with Hollande, who could be confirmed in his department but also promoted as prime minister: he is a Macronian of the first hour. At stake too sylvie goulard, former candidate for the presidency of the European Parliament, a position later assigned to Antonio Tajani. The quotations of are growing Edouard Philippe, mayor of Le Havre and former man of the republican Juppé: this move would confirm the will to give life to a majority of broad agreements, with the right even represented in Matignon. Meanwhile, it should be noted that in the staff of the Elysee Macron has called, in the strategic role of general secretary, Alexis Kohler, formerly his chief of staff at the Ministry of Economy and now involved in the financial management of the Italian cruise group MSC.
