Legislative 2022 live: the first elected officials arrive in a National Assembly where the balance of power remains to be defined – Le Monde

Nothing obliges newly appointed ministers to present themselves to the deputies and no instruction has been given by the President of the Republic in this sense, even if some of his ministers, for the first time candidates for an election, have sometimes were encouraged to do so. The challenge for them is to acquire or establish political legitimacy, and it is even greater for those who have never held office. As for the Minister of the Economy, Bruno Le Maire, he announced on May 5 that he would not stand in the legislative elections of June 12 and 19. But, for him who was at the head of Bercy for five years and who continues in this position, the stake in electoral legitimacy is not the same since he was deputy for the 1st constituency of Eure for fifteen year. He also justified his choice not to continue, for the sake of not becoming a “cumulator” and not serving more than three consecutive terms. Conversely, there is no rule written into the law concerning the resignation of ministers running for deputy who fail in their electoral enterprise. But it is a practice and political instruction given by the executive. In 2017, Emmanuel Macron had already set this rule: however, at the time, no candidate minister had failed, while at the end of the 2022 legislative elections three members of the government must leave their functions due to their defeat. It was under Nicolas Sarkozy’s five-year term that the rule was set for the first time. In 2007, Alain Juppé had thus lost his ministerial seat for ecology and sustainable development, after his defeat in the legislative elections. There is therefore, in all cases, a differential between ministers, between those who “take their risks” by presenting themselves and the others who have given up on them (like the Keeper of the Seals, Eric Dupont-Moretti). This risk is all the greater when they are candidates in difficult constituencies or which do not have a presidential majority.