Louise Bernard: Should Emmanuel Macron have accepted the resignation of Laurent Nuñez?
Bruno Cautres: It’s complicated. There was a major defect, a major dysfunction of the State in one of its sovereign missions, one of the most important: ensuring our peace, our civil security. There is a minister in office. Many French people say: 'Me, if this happens to me in my work, there will inevitably be consequences'. The principle of responsibility must come into play. We must recall article 8 of the Constitution, which says that the President of the Republic appoints the Prime Minister, on the proposal of the Prime Minister, he appoints the ministers, and also he terminates their functions. This detail is very important. The minister can submit his resignation and the head of state can refuse it.
Monday morning, the Élysée recognized failures and that it was necessary to change method. Why didn't Emmanuel Macron announce this change of method on Sunday evening when he spoke?
I think it's more of a well-thought-out communication strategy. The head of state comes to embody his function as head of state. The country is going through a very serious moment. The Head of State comes to remind us, basically, of the rules of the game, respect for the law, and violence which is reprehensible in all cases. The head of state is doing his part in recalling this. And in a second stage, it is a question of initiating a moment of communication, focused on the dimension 'controlling the security of the country'. So do not change the Minister of the Interior because there is an immediate problem which is that of the organization of the next mobilizations in terms of security. I imagine that if there was a failure in internal security again, it would simply be untenable for Emmanuel Macron to say: 'I maintain my confidence in the minister who is in office'. Obviously, he gives him a second chance.
There is also another subject on the calendar: the head of state does not have much time left. He is starting his last semester at the Élysée, the last six months. It is very difficult, on such a limited timetable, to change a position within the government, to find a person who has the competence to embody public safety, who sends a message to the public that something is happening. So, for the moment, a second chance is given to the Minister of the Interior, but on condition that there is no major security defect again.
Is there not a problem with maintaining order since Emmanuel Macron was elected?
When Laurent Nuñez was appointed Paris police prefect, he succeeded a police prefect who had embodied a model of maintaining order which had caused great damage and very significant controversies in the public space. At the end of the Yellow Vest crisis, Laurent Nuñez took Mr. Lallement's place, and many had highlighted both his great professionalism and the fact that he embodied a new doctrine of maintaining order. Everyone expected that Laurent Nuñez, a seasoned security professional, would not experience such a major malfunction. It is therefore fundamental that in the coming days, the State tells us what happened, where the fault was. Is it on the intelligence side, on the distribution of law enforcement side? But we really need to know what happened.
Isn't Emmanuel Macron's speech enough of a response today?
No, that's not enough at all. The head of state has not even outlined any concrete proposals. High school students, when we listen to them, they have extremely empirical and concrete requests. They are in emergencies. The State must respond to these demands.
