It would be an exaggeration to speak of a Lampedusian change. The night of his re-election, French president Emmanuel Macron promised to “re-establish” his form of government, but at the beginning of his second term, continuity was imposed. Much less mediatic than the appointment of the new prime minister Elizabeth Borne or Government reorganization, an announcement made last week confirms this continuous line: Elysee’s general secretary of the alexis ridingLittle known to millions of Frenchmen, he is a fundamental and influential figure in the exercise of power by the centrist leader.
He is the leader who has the most influence over Macron. right hand that does nothing without it. Many people say that the real president of the Republic is Alexis Kohler, Ellen Salvi, head of the Politics department of the digital newspaper Mediapart, told El Periódico de Catalunya, a newspaper of the same group called Prensa Ibérica. his job as general secretary of this newspaper, the Elysee, is “one of the most important” in the Fifth Republic, adds this journalist, who in fact has a monthly salary of about 15,000 euros higher than the president’s salary.
“This position is not enshrined in the Constitution, its mandate is undefined and somewhat vague. It depends on every president,” says Romain Bongibault, co-author of the book ‘Dans l’ombre des présidents’ about the different leaders. Who held this key position in the French presidential system. This political analyst compares his figure to the “vice president of the United States.” But with one important difference, Kamala Harris is world-renowned, while Kohler is away from the media radar.
Macron’s right-hand man since 2014
“There were very powerful general secretaries in the past, such as Jean-Pierre Jouyet (with François Hollande) or Claude Guéant (Nicolas Sarkozy), but none had as much influence as Kohler,” says Salvi. This shady leader is just accumulating countless opponents In the ranks of Macronista—his closeness to the president arouses jealousy—and among big businessmen—he is the main interlocutor on the Elysee, but he is also the subject of a judicial investigation. potential conflict of interest Due to family ties with the Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) cruise and maritime trading company. The founder of this Swiss multinational company is his mother’s first cousin.
Born in Strasbourg in 1972, Kohler has the pristine résumé typical of a good section of high technocracy like Macron himself. He completed his university education at Sciences Po Paris, Essec business school and ENA, the incubation center of the French elite. This sympathizer in his youth ‘deuxieme gauche‘ by Michel Rocard He began his professional career at the Treasury General – the French equivalent of Tony Blair’s Third Way – spread to the United States at the IMF and World Bank, and then returned to the administration of his country as the vice chairman of the board of directors of the USA. State Participation Agency (APE).
With Hollande’s victory in 2012, this technocrat Apartments by Dominique Strauss-Kahn He became deputy director of the cabinet of Economy Minister Pierre Moscovici – a former socialist minister and former head of the IMF who was sacked for sexual relations. When Macron assumed this position in 2014, both joined their careers on a seemingly inseparable dual term that spanned more than seven years. “He’s much smarter than me,” the French president said in a profile. ‘Le Figaro’ was dedicated to its general secretary in 2017.
Decisive in Borne’s appointment
His duties could range from overseeing the statements of ministers in the media, checking the progress of reforms or controlling other more transcendent ones such as the preparation of the election program – his view was key in the proposal to raise the retirement age to 65. – wave prime minister election.
“They His influence was decisive in Borne’s appointment “As Prime Minister” underlines Salvi. According to this journalist, Macron voiced other names and was “Kohler’s nominee from the start” as he was about to choose conservative Catherine Vautrin. But he was under pressure from Kohler and other leaders. macro’s left wing, finally the president changed his mind.
“Had he wanted to, Kohler could have sought a prominent position at Bercy (Ministry of the Economy). But he seems to prefer to act from the shadow. When a leader is prosecuted judicially, it is logical that he chooses to move away from the media light,” says Salvi. In fact, he was involved in an alleged corruption case, In the hands of Justice since 2018. The investigation closed in the summer of 2019, just weeks after Macron sent a letter in France to defend his main collaborator in an unusual case involving a president’s meddling in the middle of the judicial process. However, the investigation was reopened the following year after an appeal by the Anticor association, which specializes in anti-corruption.
current counter-decision
As disclosed by Mediapart, Kohler may have committed a conflict of interest crime during his time at the APE and Ministry of Economy. Between 2008 and 2010, he represented the Presidency in the boards of directors. Saint-Nazaire shipyards and the port of Le Havre. One of his main customers was MSC, the second uncle of its president and founder, Kohler.
According to a report from the national financial prosecutor’s office, as vice president of the APE, he joined Five votes in favor of MSC In the council of Saint-Nazaire and the port of Le Havre in three. In addition, while working as cabinet director at Bercy, he received numerous emails about the files affecting the Swiss multinational, which benefited from the crucial financial support of more than 3,000 million euros from the French State. Confronted with this information, Kohler responds by assuring that his family has never been involved in matters affecting his company and has informed his superiors from the outset about this potential conflict of interest.
After leaving the Ministry of Economy in 2016, he worked as finance director at MSC, with a monthly salary of 28,000 euros, while managing Macron’s presidential campaign. In the summer of that year, shortly after the election of the centrist leader and Kohler’s appointment in May 2017, a startling decision was made that went against the core of the liberal economic vision of macronism: the temporary nationalization of the Saint-Nazaire shipyards. To prevent its acquisition by the Italian state company Fincantieri. Was this measure taken only to defend the general interests of France? Or to help MSC, which is totally against the Fincantieri acquisition?
Source: Informacion
