Paris (AFP)

This time, the break is complete. The former socialist presidential candidate Ségolène Royal feels dismissed from her duties as ambassador of the poles, the executive summoning her to silence her critics and planning to "end" her role.

"It is planned to terminate your duties in the light of your recent public speaking engagements, which call into question the policy of the government, the implementation of which, in your capacity as ambassador (...) you are closely partner ", wrote on January 7 to Mrs. Royal the two general secretaries of the Quai d'Orsay, François Delattre and Emilie Piette, reminding her of her" duty of reserve ".

"A forthcoming Council of Ministers could examine the draft decree terminating your duties as ambassador," added the letter from which the Chained Duck published extracts and which Ms. Royal herself published on her Facebook page on Tuesday.

Without taking into account the semantic precautions of the Quai d'Orsay - use of the verb "to consider" and the conditional - the interested party affirms it in the categorical tone which is familiar to her: "I understand by this letter that the President of the Republic will put end of my functions at a next Council of Ministers since I do not intend to give up my freedom of opinion and expression guaranteed by the Constitution. I take note of it ".

While the Canard Enchaîné, to be published on Wednesday, reports that Ms. Royal has been "summoned" to the Quai d'Orsay for a "preliminary interview", she insists on giving her version of the facts: "I am not summoned because the dismissal of this voluntary mission on the poles has already taken place, without prior interview, as indicated in the letter "ministerial, she writes.

Questioned by AFP, Mrs. Royal did not wish to make any other comments.

Between the pole ambassador and the executive, the fire had been brewing for weeks. In question: the sharp criticisms of the ex-socialist minister towards the social policy of the government, Mrs. Royal not hesitating to castigate "the macho ego" of the executive on the pension reform. Or, in allusion to the "yellow vests", to speak of "disorder" or "feeling of absolutely real abandonment" among the French, who "no longer understand the coherence of reforms in all directions".

- "Enough is enough" -

Pensions, but also ecology, hospital, pension of the Head of State (Emmanuel Macron having announced to renounce his retirement from president): Critics of Mrs. Royal burst from her Twitter account or in her interviews. "What is wrong today is the concentration of power in the hands of the few who decide for 60 million French people," she said recently, denouncing the "chauvinistic ego" of the executive " .

Too much is too much, the government seems to have replied. Mrs. Royal "criticized the government very strongly for a few weeks, is this compatible with an ambassador's post which calls for a certain reserve? One might wonder," thundered the Minister for Ecological Transition on January 10. Elisabeth Borne, three days after sending the ministerial letter.

The implication of Ségolène Royal began with suspicions expressed by two deputies UDI and LREM, accusing her of using the allocated envelope for her ambassadorial expenses for personal purposes, for example for the promotion of her book ( "What I can finally tell you", republished in pocket at the end of 2019).

The person concerned defends herself by pointing out that her work as an ambassador is "voluntary". Warning the macronie that she would not disarm, she had assured AFP: "I will continue whenever it is necessary. They will have to get used to it".

For Daniel Cohn-Bendit, former EELV MEP who has become close to Emmanuel Macron, who speaks of "revenge" on the part of Mrs Royal, "she is inflated. She is angry at Macron because he did not propose her as Commissioner of France to the European Commission ".

On the right, Vice-President LR of the National Assembly Annie Genevard defended the need for "free political speech", even if there are "elements to reproach him for his attendance", in particular at the Council of the 'Arctic.

For a socialist cacique, it's simple: "As soon as someone makes the slightest criticism of Macron, he can be sure that we will find a case to put on his back".

© 2020 AFP