- After weeks of suspense, Edouard Philippe confirmed this Friday that he will be a top candidate in the municipal elections in Le Havre in March.
- The Prime Minister indicated that he would stay in Matignon during the campaign and after the election.
- The move angered the opposition.
We wondered: will Edouard Philippe be a candidate for Le Havre or will he stay at Matignon? The Prime Minister will finally do both. He announced Friday to the daily Paris-Normandy that he will be at the top of the list in Le Havre in March ... while keeping the government's controls if he is elected.
" I've made my decision. I matured it like any important decision […] In a democracy, the foundation of legitimacy is election, ”he said. The former mayor of the town, from 2010 to 2017, will also be present in the Norman city this Friday evening for a first campaign meeting. But this accumulation, in full pension reform, goes badly in the opposition. 20 Minutes returns to the questions surrounding this application.
How is the Prime Minister going to campaign?
There are only six weeks left before the first round of municipal elections. Edouard Philippe's campaign therefore promises to be intense. Especially since the government agenda is full, with the imminent arrival of the pension reform in the National Assembly.
“I put myself in a situation where the campaign will last seven weeks. It's short, and I will do it in a way that will allow me to fulfill my obligations in Paris while conducting an intense campaign in Le Havre, ”said Edouard Philippe in Paris-Normandy without further details.
“He launched his campaign seven weeks before the second round, it was time for an intense campaign. And it is a normal time for our democracy to breathe. 50 days is not 500 ”, we sweep at Matignon. Government spokeswoman Sibeth Ndiaye added that Edouard Philippe "will be full-time, triple-time, double-time Prime Minister" during the week, "and candidate on the weekend."
These arguments drew the wrath of the opposition. "Is Prime Minister's job a part-time job?" "Notably tackled EELV MEP Yannick Jadot, deeming the approach" deeply scandalous ".
Can it combine the two functions?
On paper, yes. The law on the non-cumulation of mandates does not concern members of the government. But last September, Edouard Philippe recalled the rule set by Emmanuel Macron: "When one is a minister, one cannot combine with the head of a local executive". Only ministers elected simply as municipal councilors can therefore remain.
What will he do if he is elected?
Edouard Philippe indicated that he would keep his post of Prime Minister in the event of victory, as long as the President of the Republic continued to "trust him". In this case, "the mayor whom I will propose for election to the municipal council will be Jean-Baptiste Gastinne [the current mayor LR]", he specified, indicating that he would return to Le Havre when he will leave Matignon. If no law prevents a member of the government from exercising as mayor or deputy, this practice has been excluded since the transition to Matignon from Lionel Jospin from 1997 to 2002.
And in case of defeat?
According to France Info, the Prime Minister recently indicated to his ministers that in the event of defeat, it would be necessary "to draw the consequences". Will he resign if he fails? "He does not put himself in the hypothesis of a defeat," sweeps his entourage. In 2014, he was elected in the first round under the UMP label with 52% of the votes.
Why is he a candidate?
Marine Le Pen accused Edouard Philippe of looking for a way out. “It's the end of Macronie. When the Prime Minister launches you as a signal "it is going so badly and we are so contested and bad that it is imperative that I manage to have my ejection seat and find my place as mayor when everything is going to go in distress", [ …] It is not a signal of great confidence ”.
A refuted criticism of Matignon. "He is a candidate to become mayor of Le Havre again, he is not in a logic of exit door. He could very well do something else if he wanted to. ”
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