French Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne, addressing Parliament with the first policy speech of her new government, announced that France's debt-laden energy giant EDF is to be nationalised, that a reform of the pension system was 'indispensable', and promised an imminent introduction of measures to ease the growing cost of living crisis.
A new French government was announced on Monday, replacing the smaller interim government formed following Emmanuel Macron’s re-election as president in April. It also follows the stinging losses of Macron’s centre-right party in June’s legislative elections, after which the president pledged to honour what he called “the will for change that the country has clearly expressed”. But instead, writes Ilyes Ramdani in this presentation and analysis of the new government, the 41-strong ministerial line-up is simply a larger helping of more of the same.
Meanwhile, Macron’s discussions with opposition leaders will start on Tuesday with Christian Jacob, head of the rightwing Les Républicains (LR) party, which could be courted to give the president a parliamentary majority.
After a delay of 26 days, on Friday May 20th Emmanuel Macron finally appointed the 27 members of the new government under recently-installed prime minister Élisabeth Borne. As Ilyes Ramdani reports, its composition is strikingly similar to the old government and is still anchored firmly to the right. Historian Pap Ndiaye, who was a surprise appointment as minister of education, represents something of an anomaly alongside the rest of the ministerial team.
As far as his party and some commentators are concerned, Emmanuel Macron sent a “signal to the Left” this week by appointing Élisabeth Borne as France's new prime minister. It is a sleight of hand that would be laughable if it did not also highlight how the head of state is continuing his attempts to deconstruct the French political arena, argues Mediapart political reporter Ellen Salvi in this opinion article.
Élisabeth Borne was on Monday named as France’s new prime minister, replacing Jean Castex under who she served for the last two years as labour minister. Borne, 61, is the second-ever woman to lead a French government, after Édith Cresson who was briefly in office 30 years ago. The future of Borne and her government now hangs on the results of legislative elections to be held next month, when it remains to be seen whether Macron’s Renaissance party can maintain a working majority in parliament. Dan Israel and Ilyes Ramdani analyse Borne’s track record, and the challenges she now faces.
Élisabeth Borne, 61, was on Monday appointed by Emmanuel Macron as his new prime minister, replacing Jean Castex under who she served for two years as labour minister and becoming France's second-ever head of government after Édith Cresson, in office between 1991 and 1992.
Transport minister replaces de Rugy who quit after a week of reports by Mediapart about his high spending on private dinners and renovations of his ministerial residence.
French transport minister Élisabeth Borne said a draft law on mobility is now being vetted by the state council and will be presented to parliament next month which allows for cities to introduce urban tolls on vehicle traffic and to set limits on how much these would cost.
Following a call by the principal French railworkers' unions for twice-weekly rolling strikes over three months from April, in protest at plans to open up part of the state-run network to private competition and changes to workers' employment conditions, transport minister Elisabeth Borne on Friday urged further negotiations, hinting at a possible delay of the liberalisation reforms.
Directeur de la publication : Edwy Plenel
Direction éditoriale : Stéphane Alliès et Carine Fouteau
Le journal MEDIAPART est édité par la Société Editrice de Mediapart (SAS).
Durée de la société : quatre-vingt-dix-neuf ans à compter du 24 octobre 2007.
Actionnaires directs et indirects : Société pour l’Indépendance de Mediapart, Fonds pour une Presse Libre, Association pour le droit de savoir
Rédaction et administration : 127 avenue Ledru-Rollin, 75011 Paris
Courriel : contact@mediapart.fr
Téléphone : + 33 (0) 1 44 68 99 08
Propriétaire, éditeur, imprimeur : Société Editrice de Mediapart
Abonnement : pour toute information, question ou conseil, le service abonnés de Mediapart peut être contacté par courriel à l’adresse : serviceabonnement@mediapart.fr ou par courrier à l'adresse : Service abonnés Mediapart, 11 place Charles de Gaulle 86000 Poitiers. Vous pouvez également adresser vos courriers à Société Editrice de Mediapart, 127 avenue Ledru-Rollin, 75011 Paris.