France to get its first female prime minister in more than 30 years
French President Emmanuel Macron yesterday said he had chosen Labour Minister Elisabeth Borne to be France’s next prime minister, the first woman to lead the government in more than 30 years.
A major shuffle of Mr Macron’s Cabinet is widely expected after departing Prime Minister Jean Castex handed in his resignation.
Mr Castex was a surprise choice for the role in 2020 and his departure will give Mr Macron the opportunity to reshape his Cabinet before crucial elections next month.
The centrist president will need a legislative majority to push through his domestic agenda following his re-election, with a new left-wing alliance and the far right threatening to block his programme.
Speculation has been rife in recent weeks about Mr Castex’s replacement, with Mr Macron indicating that he wanted a female prime minister 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 the climate crisis, which he has promised to prioritise.
Ms Borne, 61, is regarded as an able technocrat who can negotiate prudently with trade unions, as the president tries to introduce social reforms that risk sparking protests.
The last female prime minister, Edith Cresson, told Le Journal du Dimanche newspaper that French politics remained “macho” more than 30 years after she briefly led the Cabinet from May 1991 to April 1992 under Francois Mitterand, the country’s president at the time.
“She’ll need lots of courage,” Ms Cresson said.
Mr Macron, 44, registered a solid victory in the April 24 presidential election against far-right leader Marine Le Pen, winning by 59 to 41 per cent.
Ms Le Pen and defeated hard-left leader Jean-Luc Melenchon are both eyeing comebacks in the parliamentary elections on June 12 and 19 that would give them the ability to thwart Mr Macron.
Mr Melenchon recently persuaded the Socialist, Communist and Green parties to enter an alliance under his leadership that unites the left around a common platform for the first time in several decades.
Mr Castex had intended to resign immediately after the presidential election in line with French tradition, but was persuaded by Mr Macron to stay on while he lined up a replacement.
The bespectacled 56-yearold from rural south-west France has a no-frills style and a strong regional accent which has endeared him to many French people.
He will mostly be remembered for his management of the latter stages of the Covid-19 pandemic, delivering regular TV briefings on infection figures, shutdowns and social distancing measures.