Prime Minister Jean Castex asserted himself Monday as "leader of the majority" before the parliamentarians LREM, MoDem and Agir whom he received in Matignon, immediately after the formation of his government team, according to reports. "Summer will be studious. Everyone will have to be at work right away," he said, also reaffirming his desire for "dialogue". In this new cast which includes the surprise arrival of ex-Minister Roselyne Bachelot and lawyer Eric Dupond-Moretti, he acknowledged that there was "no big change. But it was not can - not be worth it, given the political context. "
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"And then, there has already been one at the head of government," he added according to several participants. "This government must be the mark of unity. Unity of our family", insisted the tenant of Matignon, stressing that "three parliamentarians and not the least joined the government team": Barbara Pompili, Brigitte Bourguignon and Nadia Hai , all three LREM.
"We have to walk hand in hand"
"The Prime Minister is the leader of the majority. He is not the corporal," he said later, to the applause. His predecessor Edouard Philippe - an ex-LR who had not taken his card at LREM - was regularly criticized for not playing this role of leader of the majority. "It is the chief, that implies duties to him" and it must "find the ways and means to weld the majority", insisted Jean Castex. And to add: "Together, we must respect our respective roles. Parliament has its place and I will always respect it. And the executive power has its own. We must walk hand in hand".
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He also argued for "that we only have one compass: efficiency" because "our fellow citizens expect results". "I am certain that if we are not loyal to each other - and to the President of the Republic -, if we do not work in fluidity", there will be no chance of "making France win".
Towards "a greener, more social and just society"
"From the reforms undertaken in the first part of the quinquennium we will mobilize to protect the French in the face of the crisis," added the new Prime Minister. He promised to "do it by investing in the transformation of our country towards a greener, more social and just society. A society where the values of secularism are constantly growing, and where the republican elevator will work again", according to reported comments. The head of state also slipped to be "dismayed to see the violence, including the physical expression," towards parliamentarians, which "reflects a rise in violence in society", he said.
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The former mayor of Prades (Pyrénées-Orientales) also wanted to "singularly strengthen our relations with the territories of the Republic". "It starts on a very good foot," said the parliamentarians after. Olivier Becht (Agir) notably praised an "excellent performance" by the one who is "undoubtedly leader of the majority", while Jean Louis Touraine (LREM) spoke of a speech of "good quality" in a "simple, direct" tone.