Paris (AFP)

After three years in office, Edouard Philippe has never seemed so comfortable in Matignon, buoyed by a resurgence in popularity and a small pool of competitors, but he still has to dispel doubts about his immediate future by being re-elected in Le Havre.

It seems long gone when, at the beginning of the quinquennium, Edouard Philippe admitted that it was "difficult to make a name when you have two first names".

Not "composer" but simple "conductor" of Emmanuel Macron's policy, he claimed at the start, he has been propelled to the front line in recent months, between pension reform and management of the health crisis. Pressured by the head of state, he has so far completed the roadmap set and withdrew the related political gain, both in notoriety and credibility.

Today, 53% of French people approve its action according to an Ifop-Fiducial poll published Tuesday evening, a jump of 17 points in three months, when the head of state tops out at 40%. And Mr. Philippe, from the Republicans, continues to fill up on the right-wing electorate.

"Almost one in two praises his seriousness, the honesty of his words," analyzes pollster Jean-Daniel Lévy (Harris interactive), stressing that during the period, the sober style of the Prime Minister gave him the advantage among those interviewed about the head of state.

The oppositions have also seen it as an opportunity to instill the poison of division between the two heads of the executive. Thus, Mr. Philippe appeared in the health crisis "with qualities opposite to those of the President of the Republic", believes Marine Le Pen, praising the "modesty" and the "clarity" of the tenant of Matignon.

"What the President of the Republic reproaches the Prime Minister for, are some of his own shortcomings," mocks the boss of senators LR Bruno Retailleau.

In Matignon, the entourage of Mr. Philippe relativizes by quoting Jacques Chirac - "you have to despise the highs and mend the low" - and refuses to "fall into the trap", which would be to capitalize on the upturn.

Barely a month ago, some people talked about the dissensions between MM. Macron and Philippe, and the Prime Minister was given almost ready before the summer. What relativize.

- "We replace it with who?" -

However, and while a major reshuffle is looming, Mr. Philippe seems difficult to dislodge, all the more so since there are few contenders who seem cut to face the coming economic and social crisis. Only the names of the Minister of Economy Bruno Le Maire, or the Minister of Foreign Affairs stamped on the left Jean-Yves Le Drian, circulate.

"Edouard Philippe held the tide in this crazy period and then it is popular, which is not a fault when you have to travel with measures that are not," notes a minister. Before asking: "and we replace it with who?"

"For Matignon, the Edouard Philippe option is a real option. It should not be buried", abounds a minister who "sees no other candidate".

However, Macron's promises to initiate a political turning point after the crisis stirred the microcosm of advisers and evening visitors who saw it as an opportunity to reshuffle the cards to their advantage.

"That in the entourage of the president some think that it is necessary to change Prime Minister, that does not shock me, it is even their role to think about it", nuances a friend of Mr. Philippe. "But the president has accustomed us to do what he wanted. If he wants to keep Edouard, he will keep him," he adds.

The uncertainty is also heightened by the fate of Mr. Philippe in his stronghold of Le Havre, where he came out on top in the first round of the municipal elections with 43.6% of the vote, but without reserve of votes. The Prime Minister is on the ballot against the Communist candidate Jean-Paul Lecoq, who had won 35.9% of the vote and will try to collect the protest vote on June 28.

Poorly re-elected, Mr. Philippe would be weakened. And beaten, his position in Matignon would become untenable.

© 2020 AFP