After the appointment of Elisabeth Borne as Prime Minister, the suspense continues about the composition of her government. The casting will not be revealed before Wednesday, May 18, or even Thursday, according to our information. The handover ceremonies must take place before the first cabinet meeting on Friday.
The 22 days required for the appointment of Elisabeth Borne show that Emmanuel Macron hesitated between several personalities. It was necessary to lift the hypothesis of an extension of Jean Castex to Matignon until the legislative elections. In other words, until now, the question of a new government was not on the table. The identity of the new leader or the new chief executive was the object of all concerns.
Emmanuel Macron will once again consult and question his entourage with a view to forming this new team. Elisabeth Borne can propose ministers but it is the president who disposes. Faced with the names of the candidates circulating, “the head of state always wants to make sure that something hasn’t escaped him”, explained to us this Tuesday morning a leader of the majority. Discussions that take place with the essential Alexis Kohler, the secretary general of the Elysée still in office.
What is certain is that this new government will be tightened, between 15 and 20 ministers maximum, against forty today. The “entrance ticket is expensive“, summarizes a framework of the majority:”It is necessary to find the great balances between those who will stay and the surprises, to treat the allied parties, also sometimes to reward the good soldiers“, explains one of those who timidly cherishes hopes, while telling himself that”there are bound to be disappointments“. Especially since it is also necessary to leave space to display the enlargement, on the right and on the left.
And to embody these big wallets, you have to find majority heavyweights. The choice will fall on more political profiles to strengthen Élisabeth Borne, a Prime Minister who is more technical than politician. In the majority everyone boasts “qualities” of Elisabeth Borne, but we wonder about her political leadership. We must also think, too, of proposing ways to bounce back to those who will have to be thanked: some have already received phone calls in this direction, suggests a government source.
Emmanuel Macron is also anxious to associate all the components, all the chapels of the majority and there are many of them. It’s a clever mix, especially since it will be necessary for rallies from the right and the left to be equally rewarded. Finally, the Head of State wants to avoid renewing too many ministers who stand for legislative elections. Because in the event of an electoral setback, he does not want to be forced to overhaul his cast the day after the legislative elections. That’s why the president is taking his time.