THE FRENCH President, Emmanuel Macron is on Tuesday expected to name a new prime minister and new cabinet as he heads to the last three years of his Presidency. The cabinet reshuffle comes after days of intense behind-the-scenes manoeuvring, following Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne’s resignation on Monday evening, with Education Minister Gabriel Attal, 34, emerging as the favorite to succeed him. If appointed, Attal would be France’s youngest ever and first openly gay prime minister.
A source close to Macron said the announcement would come on Tuesday.
The absence of the swift announcement fueled talk that heavy-weight government figures might be involved in intense bargaining over Attal. However, sources close to those said to be behind the tensions, including Interior Minister Gerard Darmanin and Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire, vehemently denied this. Analysts see the reshuffle as essential to relaunch Macron’s centrist presidency for its last three years and prevent him becoming a “lame duck” leader after a series of crises. Since winning the 2022 elections, Macron has faced protests over unpopular pension reforms, the loss of his overall majority in parliamentary elections and controversy over immigration legislation.
While he (Macron) cannot run again in 2027 presidential elections, relaunching his government is seen as crucial to help prevent Le Pen becoming president. Other possible candidates to succeed Borne include 37-year-old Defence Minister Sebastien Lecornu and 43-year-old Julien Denormandie, a former agriculture minister.
By Desmond Nleya, Daily Times,
