Familiar faces remain, such as the Economy Ministers Bruno Le Maire and the Interior Ministers Gérald Darmanin with surprises in Foreign Affairs and Education
Almost a month after the presidential elections in France and three weeks before the legislative elections, the presidency of the French Republic announced this Friday the composition of the new government, led by Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne. The first council of ministers of the new team will take place next Monday.
It is a government that combines innovation and continuity. They repeat heavyweights from the previous team and there are surprises in Foreign Affairs and Education. A balance is maintained between figures coming from left and right. It is a joint government: 14 men and 14 women, including Elisabeth Borne, the second woman in French history to occupy Matignon.
As tradition dictates, the Secretary General of the Elysée Palace, Alexis Kohler, was in charge of reading the names of the members of Elisabeth Borne’s government. He did it on the steps of the Elysee surrounded by cameras, putting an end to the tension and rumors of recent days about the composition of the new government.
In addition to Borne, who has served as minister three times in Macron’s first term, three government heavyweights Jean Castex reiterate their position: Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire; Justice, Eric Dupond Moretti; and the head of the Interior Gérald Darmanin. A clear commitment to experience and continuity.
Borne, who was responsible for the Labor portfolio until her appointment as Prime Minister and who comes from the left, will be replaced in this post by Olivier Dussopt. The Ministry of Defense is headed by Sébastien Lecornu; while Brigitte Bourguignon will have the Health portfolio; the centrist Marc Fesneau, that of Agriculture; and Rima Abdul-Malak, of Culture.
Olivia Grégoire, hitherto Secretary of State for the Social Economy and Solidarity, has been appointed as government spokesman, replacing Gabriel Attal, who will become Deputy Minister in charge of Public Accounts. Grégoire was the girlfriend of former French Prime Minister and former Barcelona councilor Manuel Valls after his divorce from violinist Anne Gravoin and before his marriage to Catalan Susana Gallardo.
Catherine Colonna, the French ambassador to the United Kingdom and former minister of the conservative Jacques Chirac, will become the new head of French diplomacy. His appointment to the Quai d’Orsay, the headquarters of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, was a surprise, as he did not appear in the polishes of the French press. Clément Beaune, deputy minister of European Affairs, remains Macron’s “Monsieur Europe”.
Another surprise was the appointment of minority historian Pap Ndiaye as Minister of Education. Ndiaye, of a Senegalese father and a French mother, was until now director of the National Museum of the History of Immigration in Paris. He is the author of “The Black Condition: An Essay on a French Minority.”
Notable is the signature on the right of Damien Abad, hitherto chairman of the Republican faction in the National Assembly. Abad has been appointed Minister of Solidarity, Autonomy and People with Disabilities.
As expected, in the midst of the parliamentary election campaign on June 12-19, the opposition criticized the “casting” of Macron and Borne. The far-right Marine Le Pen sees it as a symbol of ‘Emmanuel Macron’s incompetence and arrogance’.
Jean-Luc Mélenchon, leader of La Francia Insumisa (the French Podemos), said the new government’s composition was “totally disappointing”, as it contained “key figures of social abuse and environmental irresponsibility”.
Mélenchon, dreaming that Macron will be forced to appoint him prime minister if the union of left-wing parties wins a majority in the National Assembly in the parliamentary elections in June, is convinced that this new government will last only a month, as after the elections there will undoubtedly be new changes.
Source: La Verdad
I am an experienced and passionate journalist with a strong track record in news website reporting. I specialize in technology coverage, breaking stories on the latest developments and trends from around the world. Working for Today Times Live has given me the opportunity to write thought-provoking pieces that have caught the attention of many readers.
