French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday appointed Élisabeth Borne, the second woman to hold the position after Édith Cresson, in the early 1990s as prime minister. .
Borne, 61, knows firsthand the main reform that the reelected president hopes to carry out: the unpopular postponement of the retirement age from 62 to 65 years. Before becoming Minister of Labor, she worked in the Transport and Ecological Transition portfolios.
Macron, who needs to show that he heard voters’ frustrations expressed by the low turnout and strong support for the far right and far left in the election, wanted someone with green and social policy credentials for the job.
Such a profile could help combat the challenge posed by far-left veteran Jean-Luc Melenchon, who won a strong third place in the presidential election, giving him the opportunity to rally a broad coalition of left-wing parties in the 12-19 parliamentary elections. June.
Earlier in the day, current Prime Minister Jean Castex tendered his resignation, paving the way for a cabinet renewal following Macron’s re-election in April.
“The President of the Republic appointed Élisabeth Borne Prime Minister and tasked her with forming a government,” the French Presidency announced in a concise official note.
Bicycles and unemployment
A career bureaucrat who worked with a number of Socialist Party ministers before joining Macron’s government, Borne implemented bicycle-friendly policies in 2019, when he passed through the ministry of Ecological Transition.
At the Ministry of Labour, she coordinated negotiations with unions that resulted in a cut in unemployment benefits.
Under his leadership, unemployment fell to a 15-year low and youth unemployment to a 40-year low.
Edith Cresson, who briefly held the post during the presidency of socialist leader François Mitterrand in the early 1990s, spoke on Monday about the choice of Borne.
“It was really time there was another woman [nessa posição] and I know that Ms. Borne is a remarkable person, with a lot of experience… I think it’s a very good choice,” he told TV station BFM.
