French PM Élisabeth Borne quits as Macron seeks boost before EU elections
Kim Willsher
France’s prime minister, Élisabeth Borne, resigned on Monday after days of increasingly feverish speculation about an imminent government reshuffle.
The president, Emmanuel Macron, who is seeking to give a new impetus to his second mandate before European parliament elections and the Paris Olympics this summer, thanked Borne for her “exemplary work in the service of the nation”.
In her resignation letter, Borne said it was “more necessary than ever to continue the reforms” being pursued by the government.
“I wanted to tell you how passionate I have been about this mission,” she wrote, adding that she was “guided by the constant concern, which we share, to achieve rapid and tangible results for our fellow citizens”.
Nevertheless, she made it clear the decision to go had not been hers and that she had taken note of the president’s wish to appoint a new prime minister.
Under the French system, the president appoints the prime minister but cannot dismiss them from the post. Instead, they must ask for their resignation.
The reshuffle comes five months before the European parliament elections, with Eurosceptics expected to make record gains at a time of widespread public discontent over surging living costs and the failure of European governments to curb immigration.
Opinion polls show Macron’s party trailing that of the far-right leader Marine Le Pen by eight to 10 points before the June vote.
Read the full story here.
Key events
Who is Gabriel Attal?
The education minister, considered a leading candidate to become France’s next prime minister, was born in 1989 in Hauts-de-Seine.
The young politician has already served in a variety of roles, including government spokesperson and public accounts minister.
Early in his career, Attal was a member of the socialist party, but later joined Emmanuel Macron’s centrist party, now known as Renaissance.
If chosen for the role, Attal would be France’s youngest and first openly gay prime minister.
The French socialist party’s Olivier Faure said on France Inter this morning that Gabriel Attal was brilliant when it came to communication, but that if the education minister became prime minister, he expected more of the same.
“Gabriel Attal est un jeune homme brillant sur la communication, mais c’est un ministre sans bilan, nulle part !”
Pour le premier secrétaire du Parti socialiste @faureolivier, si le ministre de l’Éducation était nommé à Matignon, “ça sera la même politique”. #le710inter pic.twitter.com/lOmyuWIdiy
— France Inter (@franceinter) January 9, 2024
France’s new prime minister has yet to be named, but critics of the French president, Emmanuel Macron, are already questioning his possible choice of the 34-year old education minister, Gabriel Attal.
François-Xavier Bellamy, a member of the European parliament representing Les Républicains, said Attal had yet to have time to achieve much in his current role.
New French prime minister to be named today: reports
A new French prime minister is expected to be named later this morning, according to French media outlets.
The move comes after Élisabeth Borne resigned yesterday.
The name most mentioned as her possible successor is 34-year old Gabriel Attal, the education minister.
French PM Élisabeth Borne quits as Macron seeks boost before EU elections
Kim Willsher
France’s prime minister, Élisabeth Borne, resigned on Monday after days of increasingly feverish speculation about an imminent government reshuffle.
The president, Emmanuel Macron, who is seeking to give a new impetus to his second mandate before European parliament elections and the Paris Olympics this summer, thanked Borne for her “exemplary work in the service of the nation”.
In her resignation letter, Borne said it was “more necessary than ever to continue the reforms” being pursued by the government.
“I wanted to tell you how passionate I have been about this mission,” she wrote, adding that she was “guided by the constant concern, which we share, to achieve rapid and tangible results for our fellow citizens”.
Nevertheless, she made it clear the decision to go had not been hers and that she had taken note of the president’s wish to appoint a new prime minister.
Under the French system, the president appoints the prime minister but cannot dismiss them from the post. Instead, they must ask for their resignation.
The reshuffle comes five months before the European parliament elections, with Eurosceptics expected to make record gains at a time of widespread public discontent over surging living costs and the failure of European governments to curb immigration.
Opinion polls show Macron’s party trailing that of the far-right leader Marine Le Pen by eight to 10 points before the June vote.
Read the full story here.
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