In early April, Jean Castex was almost unknown to the French. Three months later, here he is, Prime Minister, invited this Friday evening at 8 p.m. of TF1. A meteoric rise, largely due to its implementation of deconfinement. A mission already entrusted at the time by Emmanuel Macron. "I am not, I was not until today a national politician" , recognized Jean Castex himself.
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“I am a politician rooted in my history. I am a local politician. I am a politician in people's daily lives and that makes me very proud, " he also said, presenting himself as a " social Gaullist " .
"Everything cannot be decided from Paris"
Jean Castex claims not to have accepted the post of prime minister "to seek the light ", but to " obtain results ", especially in the face of "the coming economic crisis" . The new tenant in Matignon has made the “recovery plan for the country” his top priority. But, "before giving the solutions, I hope that we discuss it with the nation, with the social partners, in the territories ", demanded the new Prime Minister, evading for example, for the moment, the question of the extension of the weekly working time.
He also pleaded for a "reconciliation, and the deepening of the relationship with the territories". “Not everything can be decided from Paris. I believe in territories. I believe in trust and the values of responsibility, ” argued the mayor of Prades, a small town of 6,000 inhabitants in the Pyrénées-Orientales. He notably wishes to better integrate these famous "territories" into reflections around "ecology" . A theme that should be at the center of his work in Matignon. "It is at the heart of the priorities that the President of the Republic asked me to implement," he explained.
"We must act, work quickly"
The former deputy secretary general of Nicolas Sarkozy at the Élysée Palace also took advantage of his speech to clarify his political past. "Each experience that has been mine has enriched me and I have absolutely no regrets of having served the Republic at the time when, already, we had to take care of pensions, Greater Paris ...", a- he said. As for his future government, which will be named "quickly" , perhaps before Monday, Jean Castex ensures that his "philosophy" will be "operational" . "We must act, work quickly," he argued. The new tenant at Matignon has also announced that he will deliver his general policy speech " in the middle of next week ".
After the transfer of power which took place this Friday afternoon, Jean Castex again welcomed Friday evening the action of his predecessor, Edouard Philippe. “He is a man who has given himself a lot, with whom I share a lot of values. You have to tell the truth, that is. Édouard Philippe has served our country a lot and served him well , ”he certified.
