Emmanuel Macron is trying to extend his troubled second presidential term with a reshuffle of the Government. Elisi yesterday announced several changes in the Executive, after just over a year since it was formed, but the majority of heavyweights remain in office, among them the holders of Economy – Bruno Le Maire -, Interior – Gérald Darmanin – and Foreign Affairs – Catherine Colonna -.
The government reshuffle has been preceded by weeks of suspense and, according to the French media, a strong political pulse between the Prime Minister, Élisabeth Borne, and the President of the Republic, who has had the last word.
The most significant innovation was the appointment of Gabriel Attal, only 34 years old, as the new Minister of National Education – a very relevant portfolio, in terms of budget and personnel – replacing the historian Pap Ndiaye, of Senegalese father, criticized for his disappointing management. Attal, from the Socialist Party, has been part of Macron’s close circle, the so-called “Mormons”, since Macron stopped being Hollande’s Minister of Economy and launched himself into the conquest of the Elysée in 2016. He has held other positions in the Cabinet. He was now Minister of Public Accounts. Before that, he took charge of a Secretary of State for Education and also served as spokesperson for the Executive.
According to the 1958 Constitution, which was drawn up according to General De Gaulle and established a very presidentialist regime, the appointment of ministers is proposed by the Prime Minister to the Head of State, who can veto names or suggest them. The remodeling, after only 14 months, is a consequence of the severe turbulence caused by the pension reform, a political and social battle that lasted months, with strikes and demonstrations, and which left the Government and Macron himself exhausted. Borne’s position did not even seem secure. He finally saved it, although there is no guarantee that he will keep it until the end of the legislature. Borne is a rather unpopular head of government with limited charisma.
Macron’s slowness and hesitation in making decisions can be exasperating. According to the newspaper Le Parisien, the ministers have been subjected to “a Chinese torture”, for days. They didn’t know if they would continue or not. In a meeting on Wednesday night, Macron himself acknowledged that these are not pleasant moments but that they must be faced “with the utmost calmness of spirit” and “mutual respect”. In practice, the way of managing the changes has weakened the Government and especially Borne itself.
Other changes affect Health, in which François Braun, who had had a gray mandate, leaves, and is replaced by Aurélien Rousseau, until now Chief of Cabinet of Borne itself. The Executive also leaves Marlène Schiappa, a well-known figure in Macronism, responsible for Social Economy and Associational Life, but present in the Government, in various positions, since 2017. Schiappa was embroiled in a fund management scandal and irritated Macron when, in the midst of the pension reform crisis, she gave an interview to Playboy and allowed herself to be photographed for the magazine with several photographs that projected an image of frivolity.
The heads of the Housing, City, Overseas and Solidarity departments have been replaced. In all cases it has been tried to achieve a political balance that satisfies all the tendencies in the presidential party, Renaissance, and its allies.
The adjustments to the Government are intended to give it vigor, more energy, in a period that will continue to be very difficult because the Macronists, since last year’s legislative elections, are in the minority in the National Assembly and also in the Senate. Macron intends to focus efforts on a new immigration law and green initiatives. He will encounter, especially on the first point, the strong opposition of the Republicans (LR, traditional right), who are currently essential to build a majority.
The rise of Attal – married to the general secretary of Renaissance, Stéphane Séjourné – places him in a good position to, perhaps, dispute the succession of Macron. This ambition is also attributed to the Minister of the Interior, Darmanin, and the Minister of Economy, Le Maire.
The first Council of Ministers of the new Government will be held this Friday. Macron is expected to head to the country to discuss the changes and outline his medium-term plans. The president had to resolve the remodeling before the trip he undertakes on Sunday to New Caledonia, a French territory in the South Pacific, and to several countries in Oceania such as Vanuatu and Papua New Guinea to reaffirm the French presence before other powers, especially China.
