Tuesday evening July 18, Elisabeth Borne and Emmanuel Macron spoke about the reshuffle. The political editorial of July 19.
After Emmanuel Macron’s announcement that Elisabeth Borne would be retained as Prime Minister, the two heads of the executive discussed the reshuffle on the evening of Tuesday July 18, before the traditional end-of-year dinner in the gardens. of the Élysée with the whole of the government.
>> Between cuddle therapy and defense of the government’s balance sheet, behind the scenes of the ministers’ dinner at the Elysée
The day after this interview, the noises of corridors are numerous. With one objective: to replace the weak links with more seasoned profiles. For Education, the priority of the president after the riots, the name of Gabriel Attal, Minister of the Budget, thus circulates to succeed Pap Ndiaye, without anyone knowing more. Another strategic portfolio, Health. To replace François Braun, the names of two elected officials close to Édouard Philippe return: Frédéric Valletoux, deputy, and Arnaud Robinet, mayor of Reims, both politician and specialists.
A very political profile would also hold the rope to replace Jean-Christophe Combes, Minister of Solidarity, that of Aurore Bergé, the head of the Renaissance deputies, while in the city, Sabrina Roubache, deputy of Marseilles and close to the head of the State, could replace Olivier Klein and see its perimeter widened.
Finally, unsurprisingly, Marlène Schiappa would be leaving after the scandal around the Marianne Fund. Finally, the fate of spokesperson Olivier Véran is uncertain. At the last reshuffle, he had been caught in extremis. So when it comes to redesign, you have to be very careful: nothing is set in stone until the last minute.
A redesign is not just a question of skills
As in any reshuffle, Elisabeth Borne and Emmanuel Macron must respect political balances, personal questions too. This is the whole issue of the battle that is being played out behind the scenes for the government spokesperson, if ever Olivier Véran was dismissed. Two deputies, Maud Bregeon and Prisca Thévenot, would fight for the position. And the advantage is to Prisca Thévenot, because Maud Bregeon is close to Gérald Darmanin. No question for Elisabeth Borne to promote the ally of a minister who wants to take his place.
Another profile that the Prime Minister would like to dismiss: Franck Riester, Minister responsible for relations with Parliament, “because she doesn’t love him”, explains an adviser. On the other hand, Sacha Houlié, deputy of the left wing and close to Borne, would have refused the portfolio of Overseas, less autonomous than the head of the Commission of Laws which he currently occupies in the Assembly.
The “maintenance” of Elisabeth Borne: a poisoned gift
The other key point of this reshuffle is obviously the future of Elisabeth Borne. The Prime Minister was only “maintained” at Matignon. Emmanuel Macron did not let her resign to reappoint her, which would have strengthened her. The challenge for the Prime Minister is therefore to go beyond the “adjustments” what the president wants. On the contrary, it must impose itself with a broader reorganization which would carry its paw, in order to lead a more solid government. A kind of survival insurance when it always appears suspended, with Gérald Darmanin in ambush.
The real question is therefore whether the president is ready to make this gift to a Prime Minister chosen by default. But let’s be clear: in the context, it is not the exit of anonymous people for the entry of “less anonymous” that will change anything in the daily life of the French, but rather a clear political line, which is slow to be made. to know.