French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday named French Minister of Labor, Employment and Integration Elisabeth Borne as prime minister to lead his reform plans, the first woman to head the French government in more than 30 years.
Jean Castex earlier handed his resignation as prime minister to the president, part of a widely expected reshuffle to make way for a new government in the wake of Macron’s re-election last month.
The previous female prime minister, Edith Cresson, headed the Cabinet from May 1991 to April 1992 under then-French president Francois Mitterrand.
Photo: EPA-EFE
Ending weeks of speculation, the Elysee confirmed Borne’s nomination in a statement and she then headed to the Matignon residence in Paris for the handover with Castex.
The departure of Castex, who was a surprise choice for the role in 2020, enables Macron to reshape the Cabinet ahead of parliamentary polls scheduled for next month.
The new government under Borne is expected to be announced in the next few days.
Macron will need a legislative majority to push through his domestic agenda following his re-election, with a new alliance and other opposition parties threatening to block his program.
Speculation has been rife in the past few weeks about Castex’s replacement, with Macron indicating he wanted a woman with left-wing and environmental credentials.
Those criteria reflect his desire to focus on schools and health in the early part of his second term, as well as climate change affairs, which he has promised to prioritize.
Borne, 61, is seen as an able technocrat who can negotiate prudently with unions as the president embarks on a new package of social reforms that include a rise in the retirement age, which risks sparking protests.
A French presidential official, who asked not to be named, described Borne as a woman of “conviction, action and realization,” noting her “capacity to carry out reforms.”
“It was high time there was another woman,” Cresson, who knows Borne personally, told BFM-TV.
“She is a remarkable person, with great experience in the public and private sectors,” Cresson said.
“She’s a very good choice because she’s a remarkable person, not because she’s a woman,” she added.
She expressed amazement that it had taken France — which has never had a female head of state — so long to have another woman as prime minister.
“France is very behind — not the French population, but the political class,” Cresson said.
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