The Secretary of State for Citizenship, Sonia Backès, presented her resignation from the government to Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday, three days after her defeat in the senatorial elections in New Caledonia, in a context of tensions between the executive and the separatists of the archipelago.
The Head of State accepted the decision of his Secretary of State “in accordance with Republican rule”, indicated the Elysée. “He thanked her for the quality of her action within the government against separatism, against sectarian excesses and for improving the integration of foreigners,” he added.
Ms. Backès, who was running for senator in New Caledonia under the label of the presidential Renaissance party, suffered a surprise defeat during the senatorial elections last Sunday.
It is customary under the Fifth Republic for members of the government defeated in elections to resign. But under the presidency of Emmanuel Macron, those who were defeated were replaced during broader reshuffles, like Jean-Michel Blanquer.
Originally from New Caledonia, Ms. Backès, who is at the head of the “loyalist” elected representatives of the archipelago, was the only member of the government candidate in the senatorial elections last weekend.
His defeat occurred in a complicated context of discussions on the institutional future of the archipelago between the executive and the parties concerned.
President of the assembly of the Southern province, she was soundly beaten in the second round by the independentist Robert Xowie.
This is the first time that a Caledonian separatist has been elected to the Senate. Before him, only Roch Pidjot (Caledonian Union) had held a parliamentary position by being elected deputy from 1964 to 1986.
The resignation of Ms. Backès’ government after her electoral defeat should weigh on the current Caledonian process which is experiencing yet another tension, being considered a new victory by the separatists.
Emmanuel Macron “renews all his confidence in her for the action she is taking within the majority and is delighted with her reinvestment in the Caledonian issue”, assured the Elysée.
In mid-September, back in New Caledonia after a week of discussions in Paris, the main independence party, the Caledonian Union, announced the suspension of its meetings with the State, criticizing the government’s project.
A cold shower for the executive, who had nevertheless displayed his satisfaction at the end of this round of discussions.
The fact of putting separatists and “loyalists” around the same table in Paris, and this for the first time since 2019, was perceived by Emmanuel Macron and his government as a sign of hope for a political agreement with a view to a constitutional revision in 2024.
The Minister of the Interior, Gérald Darmanin, is due to go to New Caledonia at the end of October. But no date has been formally set.
“I want to thank my friend Sonia Backès very sincerely for her work, her courage and her involvement at the Ministry of the Interior alongside me. She did honor to her position, particularly fighting against sectarian excesses and thus helping many French people” , wrote Mr. Darmanin on the social network X (formerly Twitter).
The resigning Secretary of State entered the government in July 2022 where she succeeded Marlène Schiappa. The Elysée did not specify on Wednesday who would succeed him.
His appointment to the government alongside Mr. Darmanin, also in charge of Overseas, and therefore the Caledonian issue, had made the separatists cringe who had denounced “a confusion of genres”.
His first steps, Place Beauvau, were marked by controversy. His special advisor, Brieuc Frogier, was forced to resign very quickly for having been Eric Zemmour’s representative in New Caledonia for a time during the presidential campaign.
During her tenure at the State Secretariat for Citizenship, Ms. Backès had to deal with the scandal of the management of the Marianne Fund set up by her predecessor. Scandal which caused Ms. Schiappa to leave the government, where she held the position of Secretary of State for the Solidarity Economy.
In charge of the fight against sectarian excesses, Sonia Backès had explained on numerous occasions how much this subject was close to her heart, given her family history. Her mother, she said, had been “recruited by the Church of Scientology”.
09/27/2023 21:19:39 – Paris (AFP) – © 2023 AFP
