The first secretary of Socialists Olivier Faure is challenged by an alliance of more moderate, social and European pro-democratic forces within his party. And in response, he and his supporters can seek to cause a crisis to galvanize the support of the base of the left wing of the party. It is a tour that can involve that he is trying to disconnect the group’s loose support for Bayrou, which was essential to pass the late budget of 2025 in February.
Meanwhile, central-right republicans, which form an essential element of the minority government of Bayrou, are also agitation. The party is expected to elect a new leader this month, and their current president Laurent Wauquie faces the prospect of a humiliating defeat by a main member of the Bayrou government – the hard line and the popular Minister of the Interior Bruno Retailleau.
This internal leadership competition threatens to become a battle between party members who support an alliance with the center of President Emmanuel Macron and those – like Wauquie – who hate him. Like the leftist socialists, the Republicans do not seem to rekindle their past glories while a strong, or post-macronist macronist survives. And if Wauquie loses, he can try to explode the coalition.
Then, there is the far -right national party of Marine Le Pen, who examines if and how to provoke misdeeds in retaliation for the five -year ban on the public service that she received following her conviction for embezzlement last month.
If all this was not problematic enough, Bayrou’s own position was also weakened by a lancian scandal 30 years ago, concerning the allegations of violence and sexual abuse in a Catholic school near his constituency in Pau in the Pyrene when he was Minister of Education. In February, Bayrou declared in the National Assembly that he did not know little about allegations at the time. However, his statement has been contradicted in recent days by, among other things, his own daughter.
The Prime Minister should appear before a parliamentary committee investigating the case later in the day, and unconvincing performance will increase the pressure from the media and the opposition for his withdrawal of his functions.
Politices
