Macron Adjusts His Cabinet, Seeking a Fresh Start – Weeks after elections that considerably reduced his parliamentary majority and strengthened his political opponents, French President Emmanuel Macron lightly reshuffled his government on Monday in an effort to kick-start his second term.
After his alliance of centrist parties lost its absolute majority in the National Assembly, France’s lower house of Parliament, last month, Mr. Macron is now looking for a fresh start. He has been concerned with international summits and diplomatic efforts over the war in Ukraine and has not yet mapped out a strong domestic course for his second term.
After those elections, Mr. Macron asked Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne to consult with parliamentary groups in order to create “a new government of action” that might include members from various political parties. Ms. Borne spent the majority of the previous week holding meetings with party leaders.
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The new appointments on Monday, however, were not as extensive as that may have implied, and there were no significant surprises in the shuffle, so it is unlikely that the new administration will make it simpler for Mr. Macron to enact his legislation in France’s fragmented lower house.
Speaking to his newly appointed ministers on Monday during the first meeting of his cabinet, Mr. Macron said he wanted a government with ambition that could create challenging compromises.
Mr. Macron stated that the mainstream opposition parties’ unwillingness to cooperate with his administration was the cause of the need for reforms and transformations in his government.
Ms. Borne and many influential figures who were appointed in May following Mr. Macron’s re-election remained in their positions, including Bruno Le Maire, who has overseen the economy since Mr. Macron was first elected in 2017; Pap Ndiaye, a scholar of French and Senegalese descent who serves as the minister of education; and Catherine Colonna and Sébastien Lecornu, the ministers for foreign affairs and defense.
