Life and Customs in Sarkoland: Bloody game of musical chairs for Christine Lagarde replacement

"When we were friends"

François Baroin and Bruno Le Maire in 2010

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In a previous installment of “Life and Customs in Sarkoland” I had aptly described those customs at the Elysée Palace as being uncannily “African.”  Through and through… And this Tuesday, June 28, there was yet another vindication and illustration of my view: a bloody war of succession at the prestigious economy and finance ministry—at times simply called Bercy, after the Parisian quarter in which it is located in the 12^th arrondissement— just vacated by Christine Lagarde, nominated the same day at the helm of the IMF.

The battle for succession pitted François Baroin, 46, Budget Minister, against Bruno Le Maire, 42, Agriculture Minister.  Slated for Tuesday, this third reshuffle of François Fillon’s government was postponed till Wednesday due to this fratricidal donnybrook. The battle was ultimately won by François Baroin, who threatened to resign; whereas Bruno Le Maire, disgruntled, decided to stay at agriculture, turning down the budget ministry!

The problem with this nomination of Baroin is that the man can hardly speak English in a global context where that language is more and more an inescapable expertise of sorts. A trivial anecdote: Sarko, who doesn’t speak German, communicates with Angela Merkel in English. What’s more, Baroin, a former journalist, has yet to make his mark on the global stage. In contrast, Le Maire, a technocrat trained at the elite schools of Ecole Normale Supérieure (ENS) and Ecole Nationale d’Administration, is proficient in English and German and has among many other achievements recently successfully hosted in Paris the summit of G20 agriculture ministers, “the first time the agriculture ministers of the group of leading world economies have held a summit.”

What’s most damning about the style of governance of Sarko is the way he and his prime minister managed to bungle Christine Lagarde replacement at Bercy.

Consider this timeline of the debacle I lift from the Parisian Libération:

“Tuesday morning, the agriculture minister, Bruno Le Maire, accompanies the head of state (Sarko) and the prime minister (François Fillon) in their visit of a poultry farm of La Sarthe.  François Fillon’s chief of staff takes him (Le Maire) aside: “You cancel all your appointments this afternoon, the prime minister will meet you.”

Around 1 p.m., at the military airport of Villacoublay, Nicolas Sarkozy confirms himself the good news as he steps out of the plane: “It’s you who’s replacing Christine Lagarde” at the economy and finance ministry. Le Maire is somewhat taken aback. He’d stopped believing in it, even if he was aware that (current foreign affairs minister) Alain Juppé and (former prime minister) Edouard Balladour had lobbied for him.

At 3 p.m., the agriculture minister is at the National Assembly responding to the questions to the government. Fillon isn’t there. Neither Baroin. The two men are at Matignon (the prime minister’s office) where the explanation is stormy. Baroin puts his resignation on the line. Everyone recognizes that the budget minister is the natural candidate at the economy. Because he or she knows how Bercy works. (…) This would be a “humiliation.” Everyone would understand that Baroin wasn’t given the job because he speaks English badly, because he doesn’t have the “level” (résumé) of his rival “enarques” (alumni of the prestigious ENA).

“What I’m about to tell you won’t please you”

At 4 p.m., Bruno Le Maire is back at his office. He is unaware of what is being played out at Matignon. He’s still waiting as promised to be summoned at Matignon.

The phone call finally happens at 7 p.m. “What I’m about to tell you won’t please you. You are at budget.” Le Maire is flabbergasted. Budget? He has no particular expertise. Has he just not, by contrast, demonstrated that he was capable of successfully organizing and closing a G20 summit? Last week, he even got cheerful congratulations from Sarkozy, at the close of the agriculture G20. The Elysée has even asked him to participate in the preparatory meetings of the next G8. They don’t want him at Bercy? He prefers to stay at Bercy.

After the stupefaction and the wrath, Le Maire’s entourage is pondering on the lessons to draw from this misadventure. In less than one year, this is the third time that the former chief of staff of (erstwhile foreign affairs minister) Dominique de Villepin is left hanging to dry. He’d been told to brace himself for Matignon (premiership) in the fall of 2000, then for the Quai d’Orsay (foreign ministry) at the beginning of 2011.

The moral of the story? It is obvious that the brilliant Le Maire is still somewhat soft in the exercise of the balance of forces. His friend Baroin turned out to be, in this small game, far more enterprising."  

François Barouin

Christine Lagarde replacement as economy and finance minister

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