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Appointment of Edouard Philippe as New Prime Minister Divides French Politics

Sputnik News

20:55 15.05.2017

The choice of newly elected French President Emmanuel Macron to appoint Edouard Philippe as the country's prime minister was supported by some French politicians and criticized by others.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) – Monday's announcement that Edouard Philippe, center-right The Republicans party member and the mayor of the city of Le Havre, was appointed as the new French prime minister under newly elected President Emmanuel Macron was hailed by some French politicians as a wise choice and criticized by others as a failure.

Pro

Former French Prime Minister Alain Juppe and outgoing Interior Minister Matthias Fekl wished Philippe luck, the letter stressing that he wished Philippe to succeed despite their political differences.

The Democratic Movement party reportedly welcomed the news of Philippe's appointment, promising him their support.

Former presidential candidate from the Socialist party Benoit Hamon, who was eliminated in the first round, also reportedly wished Philippe luck, despite disagreements, both past and those that would "undoubtedly come."

Philippe's experience with both the left and the right may play into his favor, Daniel Boy, Senior Researcher at CEVIPOF, told Sputnik.

"Philippe has an interesting profile. He can deal with both the left and the right parties, because he has worked with both [he participated in the campaign of Michel Rocard (socialist party), the prime minister under Francois Mitterrand]. Then he became close with Alain Juppe," Boy said.

The expert added that the most interesting reaction would be the one from Philippe's The Republicans party.

According to Yves-Marie Cann, the director of political studies at Elabe research company, Philippe's experience as an elected official, especially in a local community, would be an important contribution to the new government of President Emmanuel Macron.

"So he has the 'local' experience that Macron doesn't, because he was never elected before and never held even a local mandate. So this is what makes Philippe interesting: as the prime minister, he will have to deal with national administrations, but also with local communities, and represent their interests in front of different instances," Cann told Sputnik.

Cann said that Philippe's appointment helped "support the promise of renovation, made by Macron."

Contra

First Secretary of the Socialist Party Jean-Christophe Cambadelis took issue not with Philippe personally, but rather with the general direction in which the nominations were going.

"The renovation is on the move [en marche in French, a play on the name of En Marche! party founded by Macron]: six appointments, six men, six whites, six enarques [graduates of prestigious Ecole nationale d'administration]. Anti-system, you said?" Cambadelis wrote on his Twitter.

The Socialist chief added that "with a prime minister from the right, the parliament needs the left" in an apparent rallying call ahead of the June legislative election.

Macron's presidential rival, Marine Le Pen, the leader of the National Front party, who lost to him in the second round of the election, said in a statement that the nomination was not a surprise.

"This appointment is in some way a perfect blend of the two preceding five-year terms: a prime minister [of the Republicans] to support the French president who is a spiritual son of [Socialist former President] Francois Hollande and who recycles within his En Marche! movement the endangered species of the Socialist Party," Le Pen wrote.

Jean-Luc Melenchon, the leader of The France Insoumise (Unsubmissive France) party, who was eliminated in the first round of the presidential election, said that having appointed Philippe, Macron took over the whole political spectrum of France and promised that his party would remain the only opposition force.

Alexandre Devecchio, a political scientist and journalist from Le Figaro newspaper, told Sputnik the new appointment showed that Macron's policy would be a blend of Hollande's and Juppe's ideas.

According to Devecchio, Philippe's appointment would allow the right to rethink and readjust their policies in the long term, however, this decision might cost Macron some of his left-wing supporters.

© Sputnik