French PM Elisabeth Borne resigns

 

French PM Elisabeth Borne resigns

 

The next prime minister, who will be appointed on Tuesday, will be the fourth since 2017 under President Emmanuel Macron, who is accused by critics of centralizing power in the Elysée.

 

Le Monde with AFP

Published yesterday at 6:19 pm (Paris), updated yesterday at 11:07 pm

https://www.lemonde.fr/en/france/article/2024/01/08/french-pm-elisabeth-borne-resigns_6413817_7.html

 

French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne resigned on Monday, January 8, as President Emmanuel Macron prepared to unveil a long-awaited cabinet reshuffle in a bid to give new momentum to the final three years of his presidency. "Ms Elisabeth Borne today submitted the resignation of the government to the president, who accepted it," the presidency said in a statement. The appointment of the new prime minister will take place on Tuesday morning, the Elysée told Le Monde. It was not immediately clear if this was due to a deliberately slow choreography by the presidency or last-minute objections.

 

Writing on X, Macron thanked Borne for "work in the service of our nation that has been exemplary every day," without explicitly mentioning her resignation.

 

In her resignation letter, which Le Monde has read, Borne hinted that she would have preferred to stay at her job. "While I must present the resignation of my government, I wanted to tell you how passionate I was about this mission," she wrote, adding that she "worked hard to ensure the adoption, under unprecedented conditions in Parliament [referring to the absence of an absolute majority of MPs from Macron's bloc of supporters], of financial texts such as the pension reform, the immigration law and more than fifty laws that respond to the challenges" facing France and to "the concerns of the French people." She also stated that it was "more necessary than ever to pursue reforms."

 

Under the French system, the president sets general policies and the prime minister is responsible for day-to-day government management, meaning the latter often pays the price when an administration runs into turbulence.

 

François Bayrou, leader of the centrist MoDem party – whose early endorsement of Macron was key to his initial 2017 election success – had told news channel BFM TV earlier Monday that a change in government makeup was "necessary."

 

There had been speculation the reshuffle would be announced late last week. However, no news emerged over the weekend, with Macron reportedly weighing his options in seclusion at his La Lanterne residence on the grounds of the Palace of Versailles. Commentators see the reshuffle as essential to relaunch Macron's centrist presidency for its last three years and prevent him becoming a "lame duck" leader after a series of crises.

 

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Since he defeated the far right to win a second term in 2022, Macron has faced protests over unpopular pension reforms and controversy over immigration legislation. Borne, 62, the second woman to lead the French government, has weathered these problems but never dispelled doubts about her future.

 

The new PM will be the fourth prime minister since 2017 under Macron, who is accused by critics of micro-managing and centralizing power in the Elysée. "I have a scoop for you. I know the name of the (new) prime minister," left-wing politician Raphaël Glucksmann joked on France 2 television. "It's Emmanuel Macron! And the foreign minister will also be Emmanuel Macron, as will the defense minister and the culture minister."

 

Le Monde with AFP