Both the Socialists and the conservative Républicains can’t hide their deep divisions over what to do after their own electoral defeats: Should they join the 39-year-old president-elect — or fight him? [...]
That runs contrary to the official line of the Républicains, who have found a new temporary leader in François Baroin, the mayor of Troyes and briefly an economy minister under Sarkozy. Baroin has been tasked with leading the party’s parliamentary campaign and he is trying to keep it from falling apart. His aim is to secure an absolute majority of seats for the Républicains, force Macron to choose a conservative prime minister — a role Baroin would like for himself — and then try to set their own legislative agenda. [...]
Things aren’t any clearer in the Socialist camp, where the same dilemma is tearing the party apart. Some government members such as junior foreign minister Jean-Marie Le Guen are eager to join Macron — following the example of Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, one of the new president’s early supporters. And former PM Manuel Valls has called for the party to be squarely in the “presidential majority.” [...]
What will make it harder for conservative bigwigs to decide is that Macron isn’t expected to announce his choice for prime minister until Sunday at the earliest — once he takes over as president. Some Républicains want to make sure that Macron is serious about his intention to govern with people of all stripes. They would be reassured by him choosing a PM from the center-right, as Macron himself hails from the Socialist camp.
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