After the consultation period, the trial by fire. The Head of State, Emmanuel Macron, and the Prime Minister, Elisabeth Borne, are preparing for the reshuffle, Sunday July 3. The composition of the new government will be announced at the beginning of next week, learned franceinfo Friday, from concordant sources. A tightrope walker’s exercise which must take into account the new balances in the Assembly, but also parity and the portfolios which remain vacant. Franceinfo summarizes the challenges of this redesign.
Montchalin, Bourguignon… Four ministers to replace
First objective for Elisabeth Borne, in whom Emmanuel Macron has maintained his confidence: to replace the ministers beaten in the legislative elections, according to the rule reaffirmed by the executive. These are three women, Amélie de Montchalin in Ecological Transition, Brigitte Bourguignon in Health and Justine Benin in the Sea. To these is added the Minister of Overseas Yaël Braun-Pivet, elected to the presidency of the National Assembly, Tuesday, June 28.
The Abad and Zacharopoulou cases to be decided
The question of keeping Damien Abad in Solidarity arises, while the Paris prosecutor’s office has opened an investigation for attempted rape after a woman’s complaint against him for facts that allegedly took place during a party in 2010. The entourage of the ex-LR, who represented a take on the right, let it be known on Friday that he was “fully on task”.
However, within the majority, his departure is no longer a taboo. Damien Adam, Renaissance deputy for Seine-Maritime, does not beat around the bush: “Politically, he brought nothing and he cost us enormously. I don’t see how he can assume his responsibilities as Minister of Solidarity given the situation.” “I hope he will understand that he is serving the general interest by clinging to his position and that in order for him to be able to defend himself he must step back”, he added, questioned by franceinfo on Friday.
The foot calls continued on Saturday. Prisca Thevenot, Renaissance deputy for Hauts-de-Seine and spokesperson for La République en Marche, estimated on franceinfo that the Minister of Solidarity should “to have time to be able to defend oneself” and there “dedicate fully”. “I have always been on the side of the victims on this subject”declared shortly after the Minister of Energy Transition Agnès Pannier-Runacher. “It will be up to the Prime Minister to judge according to the progress of this investigation, of what justice says, if indeed she must decide one way or another”she clarified.
Elisabeth Borne must also look into another case: that of Chrysoula Zacharopoulou, Secretary of State for Development and La Francophonie, targeted by three complaints, including two for rape.
New portfolios to fill
The executive must also assign important portfolios that had not been filled before the legislative elections. This concerns housing, transport, crafts, biodiversity or rurality… Reinforcements are also expected at Bercy for digital, industrial sovereignty or tourism. While the government currently has 17 ministers, six deputy ministers and four secretaries of state, it could have around fifty members after the reshuffle. But the executive will try to reduce to the strict minimum and once again promises a tighter government, on around thirty posts.
A political balance to be found
With these new secretaries of state expected, Emmanuel Macron and Elisabeth Borne will also have to take care of the political balance, so as not to harm any of the partners of the majority: the MoDem of François Bayrou and Horizons of Edouard Philippe… These parties which represent the center and the right of the presidential majority currently have only one representative each in government: Marc Fesneau for Agriculture and Food Sovereignty, and Christophe Béchu for Local Authorities.
Arnaud Robinet, mayor (Horizons) of Reims and vice-president of the Grand Est region, hinted that he was interested in the Ministry of Health. “Public health issues, given my professional background and my responsibilities within the FHF, have always fascinated me and I consider that there is a lot to be done in this area”, he told the Worldsunday.
Will “open” personalities make their entry into government? While dismissing the entry of the National Rally and La France insoumise, the head of state had evoked a new government with allies, right and left, “who would commit to the long term alongside the presidential majority”, in an interview with AFP on June 25.
Jérémie Peltier, director of studies at the Jean-Jaurès foundation, however, sees limits. “Looking for a symbol of the right or the left, it no longer works”he explains to franceinfo. “Beware of flattering poaching, who do well in the media and speak to public opinion but point at their former friends in the hemicycle“, warns on franceinfo a very close to Emmanuel Macron. Exit, therefore, a priori, the “glitter” appointments.
The parity to be respected
Last challenge and not the least: respect parity. Most outgoing ministers are women. But the names of ministers circulating are those of men.
To take over from Brigitte Bourguignon at the Ministry of Health, according to The world and AFP, the profile quoted with the most insistence remains that of Frédéric Valletoux, elected deputy (Horizons) of Seine-et-Marne and at the head for more than ten years of the Hospital Federation of France. The other profiles approached are also male: the deputy Philippe Juvin, the president of the Grand Est region Jean Rottner or the mayor of Reims Arnaud Robinet, all three doctors and members of the Republicans.
In The Sunday newspapera MoDem executive sees it rather as an opportunity for his party to be better represented within this new government. “We can be providers of many competent women”he slipped weekly.