Pending the official announcement, there have been significant changes in the French government, with the departure of ministers who were appointed in 2022 from civil society and Secretary of State Marlène Schiappa. Schiappa caused controversy after posing for Playboy magazine, which has led to her departure. Among the most notable changes is that the historian specialist in minorities, Pap Ndiaye, one of the president’s star signings in 2022, will leave the Ministry of Education, which will now be led by Gabriel Attal, who was previously in charge of Public Accounts.
In addition, Aurélien Rousseau, former chief of staff to Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne, will take over the Ministry of Health, replacing the doctor François Braun. The pro-government leader in the National Assembly, Aurore Bergé, will take responsibility for Solidarities, previously led by Jean-Christophe Combe, former director general of the Red Cross in France.
With these changes, President Emmanuel Macron seeks to reinforce the political image of his government, especially in a mandate in which he lacks an absolute majority and in which the right-wing opposition has become his main support. Less than a year before the European elections in May, the ruling party also seeks to stop the rise of the extreme right. Macron has mentioned that his next battles include a “political recomposition” around ecology and an immigration reform that cannot be left in the hands of the opposition.
The riots that occurred at the end of June in France after the death of a young man shot by the police have postponed the reshuffle of the government that was already gaining strength due to the wear and tear generated by the controversial pension reform. Despite this, the president has confirmed Élisabeth Borne as prime minister, although 56% of French people, according to a recently published Elabe poll, consider Borne a bad prime minister.