Changes at the head of two key ministries, but a fairly limited reshuffle: the Elysee Palace unveiled the new government team on Thursday, with the promotion of Gabriel Attal to Education and a surprise, the arrival at Health of Aurélien Rousseau, the ex-right arm of Elisabeth Borne.
Bruno Le Maire in the Economy, Gérald Darmanin in the Interior, Catherine Colonna in Foreign Affairs, Sébastien Lecornu in Defense, Olivier Dussopt in Labour, Christope Béchu in Ecological Transition and even Olivier Véran, for a given time, as government spokesperson: the heavyweights remain in their posts after this reshuffle presented as “technical” by Emmanuel Macron’s entourage.
The head of state, who has resolved to separate from the main figures from civil society and whose record was mixed, will bring together a government on Friday as bloated as it was so far, with 41 members in total.
He must address the French by Sunday to close the “hundred days” he had given himself in mid-April to turn the page on the pension crisis.
The substantive response to the urban riots at the end of June will wait for the start of the school year.
The waltz to Education and Health, priorities of the second five-year term of the president, gives a little relief to otherwise insignificant movements.
Ministers and advisers had been describing since Monday a hushed battle between Elisabeth Borne, who hoped to renew at least these two posts to establish her authority, and Emmanuel Macron, who wanted to keep the cartridge of a great upheaval for more difficult times.
The entourage of the Head of State affirms that “on each of these portfolios it is a question either of having a stronger incarnation, or an ability to implement the reforms with more speed and efficiency”.
“She breathes new life and surrounds herself with allies”, while he keeps “the opportunity for a second adjustment for the European campaign”, adds a framework from the presidential camp.
But according to Céline Bracq, of the Odoxa polling institute, “in terms of opinion, this result will be either neutral or negative”. “The French wanted a major reshuffle with a change of prime minister and unpopular ministers who would have left the government,” she told AFP.
At National Education, the departure of the one who had been the main surprise of the government in the spring of 2022 is recorded: Pap Ndiaye gives way to the outgoing Minister Delegate for the Budget, Gabriel Attal, 34, rising star of Macronie.
The historian, often criticized by his colleagues for his difficulty in leaving his mark on important files, had received the support of the head of state last week after being overwhelmed by the right and the far right for his charge against CNews.
“The signal sent is terrible. That of servility towards Bolloré”, owner of the news channel, lamented the patron saint of environmentalists Marine Tonderier. “Shame.”
Renaissance MP Thomas Cazenave succeeds Gabriel Attal in Public Accounts.
The Minister of Health François Braun, an emergency doctor who still hoped Thursday morning to save his chair, was finally replaced by Aurélien Rousseau, 47, a specialist in the file who for a year led the cabinet of Elisabeth Borne in Matignon.
Another representative of this civil society that Emmanuel Macron was keen to attract to the helm of the state, the Minister of Solidarity Jean-Christophe Combe is replaced by a pure juice politician, Aurore Bergé, thunderous president of the Renaissance group in the National Assembly.
The deputy La France insoumise Clémence Guetté immediately called her “liar in chief on the pension reform”.
Olivier Klein also left the government, and his ministry was split in two: the various left-wing mayor of Dunkirk, Patrice Vergriete, in Housing and the Renaissance deputy for Marseille, Sabrina Agresti-Roubache, close to the Macron couple, in the City, a file all the more sensitive after the urban riots.
Other deputies are entering: the MoDem Philippe Vigier to the Overseas Territories in place of Jean-François Carenco or even the Renaissance Fadila Khattabi to the Disabled People in replacement of the MoDem Geneviève Darrieussecq.
Media spokesperson for the presidential camp, MP Prisca Thevenot inherited a project dear to the Head of State, Youth and Universal National Service. She succeeds Sarah El Haïry, who is moving on to Biodiversity, a file hitherto managed by Bérangère Couillard. The latter is promoted Minister Delegate for Equality between Women and Men in place of Isabelle Rome.
The Secretary of State for the Social and Solidarity Economy, Marlène Schiappa, will leave the executive after being singled out for her management of the Marianne Fund.
On Wednesday evening, before the parliamentarians of his camp, Emmanuel Macron set his camp the roadmap for the start of the school year: “innovate” to respond to the riots, “invent an ecology of progress and solutions” and take up the explosive subject of immigration so as not to let “the extremes feed themselves”.
However, the government still does not have an absolute majority in the Assembly. After the fire test of pensions, Elisabeth Borne will again fight with “49.3” to have the 2024 budget adopted in the face of opposition determined to do battle.
The reshuffle did not allow the majority to be extended to certain members of the Les Républicains party, which had warned against “individual poaching”. “Everyone at home and the cows will be well looked after”, rejoiced the president of the deputies LR Olivier Marleix on BFMTV, believing that the new cast was not going to “upset” “French political life”.
07/20/2023 20:47:01 – Paris (AFP) – © 2023 AFP