In an interview with Le Figaro, former Prime Minister Michel Barnier, now an LR deputy for Paris, expresses doubts about organizing primaries before the presidential election. He proposes instead elaborating a pact for France to submit to the French people. Barnier explains his recent silence as a way to give more meaning to his statements and stresses the need for a united republican right.
Michel Barnier, former Prime Minister and current Les Républicains (LR) deputy for Paris, spoke in an interview with Le Figaro on November 14, 2025. Asked about his silence since Bruno Retailleau's exit from the government, he replied: "Political speech is increasingly demonetized when it simply participates in a general brouhaha. I decided to express myself more rarely to give meaning to these statements. And above all to continue the action because the French people I meet every day express a demand, that political leaders be up to the national and international gravity of the moment. And also the demand for a united republican right."
Barnier addresses tensions within the right, including Les Républicains sanctioning six LR ministers and supporting Rachida Dati in Paris without unity of the Parisian right. He notes that the party and its militants set a clear line: no longer participate in the government. Some chose to stay to ensure continuity, especially for farmers. "They put themselves...", he adds, highlighting potential confusion.
In view of the presidential election, Barnier proposes elaborating a "pact for France" to submit to the French, rather than a primary he deems unlikely due to lack of time.