Élisabeth Borne prepares her arrival as a deputy in the National Assembly

The former Prime Minister has just returned from her post-Matignon vacation. She is preparing her return to the Palais-Bourbon hemicycle, as a deputy this time, from February.

After a few days in Morocco to rest, Élisabeth Borne has a meeting, Tuesday January 23, at the end of the day, with Sylvain Maillard, the president of the Renaissance group at the National Assembly. The evening of her resignation, she had already called him to tell him that she intended to sit as a deputy. It remains to prepare as best as possible for his landing at the Palais-Bourbon, scheduled from February 9.

Elected as a deputy in Calvados in June 2022, when she was already in Matignon, Élisabeth Borne has so far only known the Assembly from the bench of ministers, unlike François Fillon or Manuel Valls whose route was from the Assembly to Matignon then back to the Assembly. There are logistical aspects to be resolved: where will Élisabeth Borne sit in the hemicycle? Which committee does she want to sit on? What office will she occupy? The presidency of the Assembly manages this file.

Before entering the Assembly as a deputy, Élisabeth Borne “has high morale, and she’s all in because she likes challenges”, swears a relative. A way of lying to the deputies who do not imagine him staying among them for long. During her vacation, Élisabeth Borne called some of her former ministers to get news. One of them certifies it, “she doesn’t come to the Assembly reluctantly, she always wants to talk politics”even if another says that“she will need time to discover and adapt after six intense years in government”.

“It’s not going to be easy.”

A deputy who interacted with her found her “motivated”before praising the “resilience” by Elisabeth Borne. “She is keen on public action, wherever it may be, convinced of being able to make her contribution”, he said. Her interlocutors would definitely see her getting involved in the issue of salaries. Before Matignon, she was Minister of Labor. Unless she really wants to tackle other subjects, it’s not clear-cut.

But going from Prime Minister to MP represents a big change. “It’s not going to be easy.”warns an executive, “she worked with a large team at Matignon and, there, no one left apart from a few colleagues”. “I think she’s afraid of being a little alone.” among the deputies, confides a former minister. Having been majority leader, however, gives her “the assurance of being listened to”according to an elected official, who wishes Élisabeth Borne to be exempted from attendance records otherwise “it’s going to be brutal”. Relative majority requires, Renaissance deputies must justify their absences, which is also part of the details to be discussed with the boss of the group.