Jean-Yves Le Drian will be made an officer of the Legion of Honor this Thursday

Jean-Yves Le Drian finds the golds of the Republic.

It will be Thursday morning, for a presentation of the insignia of officer of the Legion of Honor from the hands of Emmanuel Macron.

A ceremony not insignificant.

After honoring Gérard Collomb in March, then Jean-Pierre Chevènement in October, the Head of State is sending a new signal to his social-democratic wing, too neglected according to some of its members.

“Le Drian is one of those great ministers of the Hollande five-year term who believed in Emmanuel Macron and in the virtues of overcoming,” underlines a close friend of the Head of State.

In March 2017, the Minister of Defense of the socialist government had taken the plunge, in the home stretch.

"It had finished making Macron win," recalls a history.

The rest is known: this experienced elected official, who began his career in the 1970s (mayor of Lorient, secretary of state for the sea under François Mitterrand, deputy, president of the regional council of Brittany) is rewarded by the Quai d'Orsay.

Holland was not invited

In five years in this position, he will do the equivalent of 40 world tours to speak for France.

A prestigious position, but it will remain in the shadow of Emmanuel Macron, anxious to remain at the helm of his reserved domain.

At 75, the "menhir" will not be alone in the village hall.

He will be surrounded by current ministers (Catherine Colonna who replaced him in Foreign Affairs, Olivier Dussopt, Gérald Darmanin, Bruno le Maire, etc.) and former ministers, such as Manuel Valls, Florence Parly or even the President of the Constitutional Council Laurent Fabius.

Breton figures will also be present such as the former boss of the National Assembly Richard Ferrand or his friend the former mayor of Quimper, Bernard Poignant.

The current president of the Loïg Chesnais-Girard region is one of the guests.

Note: François Hollande was not invited by Jean-Yves Le Drian.

The two men, intimate for decades, have not spoken to each other since Macron's victory.

Since July, the retired politician has eased off.

He takes time for himself, in Rennes where he lives.

“What is important for me is the control of my time, at the ministry everything was planned”, he often explains to those close to him.

But politics always tickles him a little.

The think-tank he created, the “Breiz Lab — the Breton progressives” continues to operate.

The association organized a conference last Sunday with Jacques Attali.

"Le Drian never really wanted to leave power," says a confidant of the head of state.

He would have stayed.

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