MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 09th July, 2020) The Names of the French revamped government, including new Prime Minister Jean Castex, suggest that French President Emanuel Macron decided to veer to the right ahead of the 2022 presidential campaign, Nicolas Dhuicq, a former LR (Les Republicains) lawmaker and a member of Debout La France (France Arise) party, told Sputnik.
The French presidential palace on Monday revealed the names of its new government. The biggest change comes at the Interior Ministry, where outgoing budget minister Gerald Darmanin took over. Like the new prime minister, who was appointed last week, Darmanin is a conservative politician who was close to former French President Nicolas Sarkozy.
"Last month's local election results surprised many with the victory of the green party in several large cities. Their success puts more pressure on Emmanuel Macron ahead of the 2022 presidential race. A new line-up of ministers and their right-wing political past make me think that he prepares for a presidential campaign aimed at gaining right and center-right electorate. With this nominations, he signals to people who want to vote for the center-right and right - I am the guy for you, I am your future candidate," Dhuicq said.
According to the politician, the new composition of the French cabinet does not suggest a major political reinvention but just a publicity move.
"This reshuffle is a pure publicity. Macron's policies [are] unlikely to change. This new government is only made to prepare his 2022 presidential campaign in order to gain electorate within the right, also trying to get for Macron a part of the country side's votes," the politician said.
Dhuicq assumed that 2020 election would turn into a tough presidential race with the greens for the ongoing French leader pointing on a "green wave" that swept across not only France but the world.
"The greens have established themselves as a major political opposition force in France, with several important victories in several major cities. Young people across the world are very much concern with for environmental questions. Macron understood that with his lobbies and people around him he is sympathized only by rich people," he stressed.
The cabinet reshuffle has sparked criticism of ministerial picks, especially of new Justice minister Eric Dupond-Moretti, who previously faced rape allegations and whose appointment, according to Nicolas Dupont-Aignan, the leader of the Debout la France party and a 2017 presidential candidate, is "an insult to honest people or women." In addition, the politician said that people wanted to change the country's policy but keep the same prime minister, while Macron did the exact opposite. Dupont-Aignan slammed the new cabinet as "a government of communication" that would pursue the same policy, have "same patches on the problems, same artificial solutions, nothing new."
