Romain Rouillard / Photo credit: Teresa SUAREZ / POOL / AFP 17:57 p.m., January 09, 2024
Having just been appointed to Matignon, Gabriel Attal must now set about forming the next government. It will then be up to President Emmanuel Macron to appoint the executive team, on the proposal of his Prime Minister. But does the head of state have to respect a certain deadline?White smoke finally escaped from the roof of the Hôtel de Matignon on Tuesday lunchtime. Gabriel Attal, who had been tipped for several hours, has been chosen by Emmanuel Macron to replace Élisabeth Borne at the head of the executive. The youngest Prime Minister in the history of the Fifth Republic must now submit to President Emmanuel Macron profiles that could be called upon to make up the next government. On the proposal of a tenant of the rue de Varenne, the Head of State will then appoint the new executive team.
And if Article 8 of the Constitution is to be believed, Emmanuel Macron could, in theory, take several days or even weeks to appoint his future government. "The President of the Republic appoints the Prime Minister. He shall terminate his duties upon the latter's submission of the resignation of the Government. On the proposal of the Prime Minister, he appoints the other members of the Government and terminates their functions," the Constitution states very soberly, which therefore makes no mention of any deadline to be respected.
"In France, we are used to going relatively fast"
"Georges Pompidou took more than ten days to compose his own in the 1960s," recalls Anne-Charlène Bezzina, a political scientist and constitutional expert. "It is therefore quite possible to take time, especially since the High Authority for Transparency in Public Life has to examine the tax and asset situations of each of the prospective candidates."
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The holding of a Council of Ministers - the next one is due to take place next Monday - cannot be a deadline, as these meetings can be postponed, as was the very first Council of Ministers in 2024. "The custom in France is to take less time than elsewhere in Europe. We're used to moving relatively quickly, in the order of a few days," said Olivier Rouquan, a political scientist and expert on French political life.
A question-and-answer session with the government is scheduled for next Tuesday
Be that as it may, the continuity of the exercise of power will be well and truly assured, even if, when she left Matignon, Élisabeth Borne also presented the resignation of the entire government. "Since Gabriel Attal moved to Matignon, he has been the one who exercises all the powers," said Didier Maus, a specialist in constitutional law.
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The only deadline that could encourage Emmanuel Macron to step up the pace is the resumption of work in the National Assembly, scheduled for Monday, January 15 and followed by a session of questions to the government next Tuesday. "For there to be a question and answer session to the government, there needs to be a government. In my opinion, the President will not be able to postpone the regular session of the National Assembly. In any case, it would have to make a request to its president. But we are not in this configuration at all," concludes Anne-Charlène Bezzina.