Dix-nine incoming and five leaving, including Damien Abad: the government was reshuffled on Monday, two weeks after the legislative elections, a way to fully launch a five-year term which promises to be perilous, the oppositions already denouncing a simple “game of musical chairs” of the Borne II team.
Emmanuel Macron meets from 4:00 p.m. the new government team for a first Council of Ministers, which must end with a press conference by the new government spokesperson, Olivier Véran, replacing Olivia Grégoire in this position.
Mr. Véran, who retains the portfolio of “Democratic Renewal”, on the other hand abandons the particularly exposed Ministry of Relations with Parliament, which fails Franck Riester, until then holder of the Foreign Trade portfolio.
Mrs. Grégoire becomes for her part Minister of SMEs, Trade, Crafts and Tourism.
Caillou in the shoe of the executive, Damien Abad (Solidarities and people with disabilities), targeted by an investigation for attempted rape after the complaint of a woman and a third testimony against him on Monday, leaves the government. He is replaced by the boss of the Red Cross, Jean-Christophe Combe.
While the Macronist camp only has a relative majority in the National Assembly after the slap in the legislative elections, the new team reflects a subtle mix of representatives of its different political forces.
Christophe Béchu, a close friend of Edouard Philippe, an ally of LREM with his Horizons party, is promoted to Minister for Ecological Transition – replacing Amélie de Montchalin, beaten in the legislative elections – in addition to the portfolio of Territorial Cohesion that he was already occupying.
MP Horizons Agnès Firmin Le Bodo, another close friend of Mr. Philippe, has been appointed Minister Delegate for Territorial Organization and the Health Professions.
The MoDem wins for its part three positions: Sarah El Haïry, who recovers the portfolio of Youth and Universal National Service held in the Castex government; Geneviève Darrieussecq, back in government as Minister Delegate in charge of People with Disabilities; Jean-Noël Barrot, appointed Minister Delegate for the Digital Transition and Telecommunications.
Olivier Becht, pillar of the center-right Agir party, inherits Foreign Trade.
On the left flank of the macronie, the mayor of Clichy-sous-Bois (Seine-Saint-Denis), Olivier Klein, passed by the PCF and the PS, is appointed Minister Delegate for the City and Housing.
Among the entrants from civil society, the emergency doctor François Braun becomes Minister of Health and Prevention to replace Brigitte Bourguignon, beaten in the legislative elections. The chief economist of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), Laurence Boone, becomes Secretary of State for Europe, replacing Clément Beaune, who is leaving for Transport.
Former prefect Jean-François Carenco obtains the Overseas portfolio instead of Yaël Braun-Pivet, elected president of the National Assembly last week.
At La République en Marche, MP Roland Lescure is in charge of Industry, Bérangère Couillard of Ecology, and Hervé Berville appointed Secretary of State for the Sea to replace Justine Benin, also beaten in the legislative elections.
It is also the return of the former Minister Marlène Schiappa, appointed Secretary of State in charge of the Social and Solidarity Economy and Community Life.
Parity
The opposition harshly greeted the announcement of the new team.
At the RN, the deputy and ex-presidential finalist Marine Le Pen deplored on Twitter that “those who failed (are) all renewed”, believing that Emmanuel Macron “thus again ignores the verdict of the ballot box”.
“The macronie in the galley of recruitment”, that is to say the “sign of a power in the process of decomposition”, for her part reacted the president of the LFI group in the National Assembly Mathilde Panot, while the PCF spokesman Ian Brossat criticized a “new game of musical chairs”.
On the parity side, the new government brings together 21 men and 21 women including its leader Elisabeth Borne, but the latter are over-represented in the posts of Secretaries of State.
Unlike Mr. Abad, Chrysoula Zacharopoulou, the Secretary of State for Development who is facing two rape complaints filed by patients in her gynecology practice, has been confirmed in her position.
This reshuffle should make it possible to close what appeared to be a period of uncertainty for the executive after the re-election of Emmanuel Macron more than two and a half months ago.
“We now have a government of action”, “qualified personalities who are able to unite around them larger majorities than just the presidential majority”, estimated the entourage of Emmanuel Macron, praising “a balance territorial”, “sensitivities” and “profiles”, between parliamentarians, local elected officials and personalities from civil society.
Next step: the general policy speech delivered by Ms. Borne on Wednesday. But the idea that it submit it to a vote of confidence seems more and more illusory, for lack of a majority in the Assembly, especially since the substitutes of the deputies called to the government will not be able to sit in the hemicycle before a months, thus depriving the majority of their votes.
“No vote of confidence for the deputies? Macron will dissolve the people who elected them?” Quipped Jean-Luc Mélenchon, who is no longer a parliamentarian but still boss of La France insoumise. Mathilde Panot, she promises the filing of a motion of censure on Wednesday.
The first real test is scheduled for July 18 with the examination of the bill on purchasing power, with the aim of adopting it before the end of July or “beginning of August maximum, to have very rapid effects for the French”, underlined Sunday Yaël Braun-Pivet, the president of the National Assembly.
Fuel at 1.50 euros per liter, revaluation of work, lower CSG for retirees: LR deputies have already set “conditions sine qua non” to vote on the text.
ggy-pab-adc-bur/cs/bow
04/07/2022 16:40:20 – Paris (AFP) – © 2022 AFP