The Barnier government appointed on 21 September has a sense of symbolism, even tokenism. Thus, although it may be the most right-wing for at least twelve years, the first minister in the protocol order is Didier Migaud, current president of the High Authority for the Transparency of Public Life. The new Minister of Justice is the only member of the new cabinet who is left-wing. He was in fact a Socialist MP from 1988 to 2010, when Nicolas Sarkozy appointed him president of the Court of Auditors.
“Although Didier Migaud has demonstrated his dedication to public service and that justice is something important, it is true that the communication chain is a bit thick.” According to political scientist, CNRS and Cevipof researcher Bruno Cauvrai, when the Minister of Justice is in charge of protocol – which is rare – it is the work of right-wing governments: Chirac II (1986-1988) and Juppé (1995-1997).
In general, the political scientist sees in the chosen titles the mark of “The alloy between a resilient Macronism and a resurrected right.” With the keywords of each one: “administrative simplification” AND “access to care” for some“territories” For others, the Ministry for Territorial Cooperation and Decentralisation (Catherine Vautrin, Renaissance – RE) is a symbol of this. It takes over certain portfolios that were not previously assigned to it. This is the case of transport (François Durovray, LR), which has been systematically attached to a ministry linked to the environment since 2007. Trade and crafts (Françoise Gatel, UDI) were traditionally linked to Bercy in the past.
The budget under the direct authority of the Prime Minister
It therefore seems likely that this ministry, second in the order of protocol, will acquire a completely new importance.. After seven years of Macronist governments perceived as Parisian, isolated from the territories, the tone is also set by the entry of nine senators, therefore from the “chamber of communities”. We can even add Valérie Létard (Minister of Housing and Urban Renewal, UDI), who only moved from the Senate to the Assembly during the early legislative elections of June 30 and July 7.
The Minister for the Economy (Antoine Armand, RE) loses the energy portfolio (Olga Givernet, RE), his specialty, which returns to the side of the ecological transition, where he has been almost uninterruptedly since 2007. He was, however, one of the markers of the Attal government, proof of the executive’s voluntarism in its revival of the nuclear sector. Even more significant: the Ministry of the Economy sees its budget cut (Laurent Saint-Martin, RE), which no longer had a full-time ministry since 2020. The budget will even be directly under the authority of Prime Minister Michel Barnier. This is the first time since Raymond Barre. But, at the time, he combined his role as head of government with that of Minister of the Economy (1976-1978).
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