The beginning of the political course in France has a protagonist and it is not exactly the president, Emmanuel Macron. He is the Minister of the Interior Gerald Darmanin, the one in the center of the focus. He does not hide his ambitions in the face of the 2027 presidential elections (when Macron will not be able to run for a third term) and this Sunday he organized an act to kick off the course more typical of an Elysée candidate than of a government minister.
In the botanical garden of Tourcoing (north of the country), which closed for the occasion, Darmanin surrounded himself with some of his allies: a thousand supporters, parliamentarians and various ministers, including the head of Labor, Olivier Dussoptas well as leaders of Los Repúblicanos, his former party. Darmanin played at home, having been elected mayor of Tourcoing twice.
The Frenchman gave a speech focused on and addressed to the popular classes, “normal people who need security” and who “do not feel sufficiently represented.” Their living conditions are “a great matter of concern,” said the head of the Interior, who pointed out that “the voice of a minister is worth that of a worker”. He also added that “we must take seriously the feeling that parents in poor neighborhoods have.”
The event was joined at the last minute by the Prime Minister, Elisabeth Borne. Darmanin aspired to succeed her in the reshuffle of the government that Macron carried out in July, but decided to keep her in office. Some ministers, those closest to Macron, believe that placing Darmanin as head of government would have been taking the Executive too far to the right.
The decision to organize this rally has been criticized by the opposition and has made the presidential majority uncomfortable, since it is not typical of a minister, but more of someone who is campaigning. Borne was not expected to participate in this act, but he joined at the last minute, which many understand as a way of marking territory. The two arrived at Tourcoing’s garden together and he said he was “very honored” to have her there. “I confess to you that she did not plan to spend this last weekend here, but she was invited by Gérald,” she said.