Vote of confidence: on the eve of D-Day, everyone is moving their pawns for the post-Bayrou era

Barring any major surprises, the verdict is already known: faced with the announced vetoes from the left and the far right, the Matignon tenant knows that the end of his lease is imminent, even if he still pretends to believe it. As he said Saturday evening on France 5: "I still believe that good faith, honesty, and a sense of the general interest can prevail. Until the vote, I will plead that."

The centrist will once again defend his cause on Sunday at noon on the online media Brut, no doubt to insist for the umpteenth time on the urgency of France's "over-indebtedness," which in his eyes justifies the budgetary effort of 44 billion euros that he has proposed for 2026. A message that increasingly seems to be addressed to his successor, as François Bayrou seems to have resigned himself to his forced departure. "We'll have to find someone else anyway," he admits, hoping "that the fight we have led [...] will be carried on, continued, and if possible imposed."

It's up to the head of state to find the right profile. For now, Emmanuel Macron "hasn't quite decided" and "is still looking for the right solution on both casting and substance," says a visitor to the Élysée Palace. However, few in the president's entourage anticipate him appointing the socialist Olivier Faure, who earlier this week claimed "the government positions currently occupied" by the right and the center. Except that for Les Républicains, meeting in congress this weekend in Port-Marly (Yvelines), "if the left is in Matignon, the right will be in opposition." The closing speech by their leader, Bruno Retailleau, at 3 p.m. will reveal whether there is still room for maneuver.

A candidate for Matignon, Olivier Faure will have the opportunity to clarify his conditions on France 3 at 12 p.m., at the very moment François Bayrou gives his final interview. Olivier Faure "is destined to claim power," François Hollande said in La Tribune Dimanche. The former president sets out the conditions that, according to him, should lead the Socialists to a non-censorship agreement: reversing the 44 billion savings plan wanted by the MoDem president, "making the holders of the highest assets" and "businesses contribute to the overall effort to control our debt."

Olivier Faure must also take into account the fierce refusal of the Insoumis to support his strategy, which he describes as a "swindle." Denouncing "the great mess" of "the coalition of anything and everything," Jean-Luc Mélenchon warned on Saturday: "We are not candidates for any other position, except for the first one to change everything." Looking ahead to the supreme election, the unsuccessful three-time presidential candidate dreams of provoking another one before 2027, thanks to the motion of impeachment that the LFI deputies are preparing to submit.