By accepting his transfer last July from Prades town hall to Matignon, Jean Castex also had to give up another hat: that of leader of the right-wing opposition to the departmental council of the Pyrénées-Orientales.
But here it is: worried about the outcome of this election, scheduled for the end of June, the Prime Minister has discreetly resumed service.
Out of sight, but close to the vote.
"We know he's not far away, he's watching it closely, yes". José Montessino smiles on the phone. The mayor of the small village of Eus, neighbor of Prades, is a candidate for departmental, and a friend of Jean Castex. Never too far, recently, Castex certainly is. Isn't it here that he chose to travel, in mid-April, to support the winegrowers affected by the frost? Or to announce a week ago the progress of a major local issue, the modernization of the RN116, strategic axis of the "PO"? And always, a visit to friends. "Yes, he plays a role in this election, he speaks very often to elected officials here," says a local actor. His entourage recognizes it moreover: “He is worried about a potential victory of the RN. Yes, the RN can win, and he is watching it closely, it's normal, it's at home ”.
"He got personally involved"
After having won Perpignan, capital of the department, a year ago, the National Rally strongly believes in its chances.
Which would be a first in France.
So Castex wets the jersey, warms up the “Paris - PO” telephone line.
"He got personally involved, he intervened on the candidates in pairs in the cantons", confides a tenor of the majority.
"He made sure to avoid parasitic candidacies here and there", abounds an elected representative.
Because in the departmental, the scattering of voices is fatal.
It is no coincidence that there is no departmental list signed LREM.
And the only candidate walker, Romain Grau, close to Macron, has no candidate from the right-wing list in front of him!
Jean Castex also tried to play recruiting agents. On May 2, the right learned devastated that it had just been bitten by a candidate: the mayor (ex-LR) of Baixas, Gilles Foxonet, had just announced that he was running with the RN. There are only three days left before the submission of applications. "Jean Castex took his phone to find candidates", we believe in the entourage of Hermeline Malherbe, the outgoing president (PS). And if it is not the tenant of Matignon ... it is his office that takes care of it. "I was approached on the day of submitting the candidacies", confirms Claude Sire, mayor of the village of Trevillach, who will decline the proposal. The list of the right led by Senator (LR) Jean Sol therefore finds itself without a representative in this canton.
It is probable that none of the three main camps (left, right, extreme right) will obtain the majority alone (9 cantons out of 17) on the evening of the second round.
So the "third round" which will see elected officials vote to elect their president is fueling concerns.
"Very smart who can say what will happen there ...", opines Stéphane Loda, mayor (LR) of Canet-en-Roussillon, one of the leaders of LR.
"Some are not clear about the RN"
"If it is necessary to ally with other parties to avoid a shift to extremes, a republican front will have to be constituted", assures the mayor of Prats-de-Mollo Claude Ferrer, candidate on the list led by Sol. This close friend of Jean Castex assures him, moreover, that the latter "will try to influence the third round". “Castex should be careful of his friends. Some are not clear vis-à-vis the RN ”, we fear on the left. Right-wing elected officials to run with the RN? "It is something that can happen", fears Claude Sire.
On the RN side, we want to break the dike - already sagging - a little more with the right. "We can quite find an agreement for the management of the department, on concrete subjects", argues the now influential mayor (RN) of Perpignan Louis Aliot, who insists: the important "is to remove the department from left ". And if possible to inflict "a snub" on Castex. "How could he stay at Matignon if we win?" Aliot gargles. A suspenseful match, yet another symbol of the clash between the RN and the ruling power.