At first “taken aback”, Rachida Dati “did not hesitate” to enter the government

First of all “interlocked» by Emmanuel Macron’s proposal, Rachida Dati did not “not hesitated» to accept the post of Minister of Culture, she said Tuesday during her wishes to the inhabitants of the 7th arrondissement, including “wants to stay» mayor. “The President of the Republic did me the honor of offering me this ministry. It’s true that at first I was taken aback», admitted the new minister in a packed town hall, on its ground floor, for the occasion.

But Emmanuel Macron “explained to me what he expected of me, I didn’t hesitate», added Nicolas Sarkozy’s former Minister of Justice. “When you have an opportunity to do things, on things that interest you, on which you say to yourself “I will be able to change and improve things”, you should not hesitate“, explained Rachida Dati. “Yes, I am a right-wing woman, but I am not sectarian“, she added. “I don’t make it a matter of political parties“.

“I am your mayor and I want to stay that way“, also indicated Ms. Dati, mayor of this upscale district since 2008. “You have always been my priority, that will not change“, she assured those present, including many elderly people. With notably “the Eiffel Tower and the Invalides“, the 7th arrondissement is “the most beautiful illustration of our culture and its most beautiful setting“, underlined the minister.

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The one who is still the president of the main opposition group to the mayor PS Anne Hidalgo, however, did not mention the prospect of the municipal elections of 2026. After her exclusion from the Republicans, announced in the wake of her appointment, the LR group and related parties of the Paris Council must decide in the coming days whether or not Ms. Dati will remain at its head. After her vows, Rachida Dati went to the Élysée for Emmanuel Macron’s press conference, who was questioned about his appointment and a possible “deal» between them around 2026.

A minister defended by Macron

“We didn’t talk about Paris“, assured the Head of State, greeting Rachida Dati “his energy, his talent, his freedom” Who “are not reduced to political affiliation“. These qualities will beuseful for culture“, For “open doors” And “put an end to this France of “it’s not made for me”», Estimated Emmanuel Macron. As for his indictment for corruption in the investigation into contracts entered into by a subsidiary of Renault-Nissan, “there is no rule which means that an indicted minister should leave» the government, said the president.

“Otherwise in a way, I would recognize the presumption of innocence less to a political leader than to another“, he added, referring to a “form of common sense“. If a “old case law» wanted that an indicted minister had to resign, it was because there was “one of his colleagues who could give individual instructions to the prosecution“, he explained. But “for ten years now in our country, there has been no more individual instruction on files“, he argued.