PARIS (Reuters) – The Elysée unveiled on Thursday the list of key ministers in the government of new Prime Minister Gabriel Attal, marked by the maintenance of the pillars of the outgoing executive and a right-wing of the workforce, with the entry of Sarkozyst Rachida Dati (Culture) and Catherine Vautrin (Work and Health).
Rachida Dati, former Minister of Justice of Nicolas Sarkozy and mayor (Les Républicains) of the 7th arrondissement of Paris, renowned for her outspokenness and strong temperament, and Catherine Vautrin, former minister of Jacques Chirac tipped to replace Jean Castex at Matignon in 2022, strengthen the ranks of right-wing defectors from Macronie, whose conservative course is confirmed.
Bruno Le Maire thus remains in Economy and Finance – a position he has held since the election of Emmanuel Macron in 2017 – and also recovers the Energy Transition portfolio, to the detriment of Agnès Pannier-Runacher. Gérald Darmanin remains at the Interior and Sébastien Lecornu at the head of the Ministry of the Armed Forces. Furthermore, former lawyer Eric Dupond-Moretti retains the Justice portfolio.
Rachida Dati succeeds the Ministry of Culture from Rima Abdul Malak, located on the left wing and whose positions, against Gérard Depardieu in particular, irritated the Head of State, as did his reservations with regard to immigration law.
Sylvie Retailleau, from the left, retains the portfolio of Higher Education and Research. The centrist Marc Fesneau remains in Agriculture. Christophe Béchu remains at the Ministry of Ecological Transition and Territorial Cohesion.
Catherine Vautrin, who was Minister of Social Cohesion under Jacques Chirac, inherits the Ministry of Labor, where she takes over from Olivier Dussopt weakened by the turmoil linked to pension reform, as well as the Ministry of Health, replacing of Agnès Firmin-Le Bodo, targeted by a judicial investigation for having received illicit gifts when she was a pharmacist.
MACRONISTS ARE GROWING UP
At the Quai d’Orsay, Catherine Colonna is replaced by Stéphane Séjourné, secretary general of Renaissance and former advisor to Emmanuel Macron at Bercy then at the Elysée. He was preferred to Amélie de Montchalin, another early Macronist, who was expected to return to the government after leaving it following her defeat in the 2022 legislative elections.
Rising figure of Macronie, Amélie Oudéa-Castera, until now in charge of Sports, obtains an expanded ministry of National Education.
Gabriel Attal, who headed the Ministry of National Education for six months, however clarified on Tuesday, during the transfer of power to Matignon, that he wanted to “take” with him the cause of school and make it the “absolute priority ” of his action.
Until then Secretary of State in charge of Youth and Universal National Service, Prisca Thévenot was promoted. This Renaissance representative known to be close to Gabriel Attal becomes the new government spokesperson, replacing Olivier Véran whose future role has not yet been decided, according to those around him.
All positions of delegated ministers and secretaries of state will be announced later.
A council of ministers is scheduled for Friday at 11:00 a.m.
The team led by the youngest Prime Minister of the Fifth Republic, but which is not striking for its renewal, will be responsible for implementing the “new course” and the new breath that Emmanuel Macron intends to give to his second five-year term, after a year 2023 shaken up by the contested pension reform and the controversial immigration law.
By appointing Gabriel Attal to Matignon, the head of state has drawn what he hopes will be a trump card to “regenerate” his mandate and counter the National Rally, high in the polls five months before the European elections. The “right-wing” of the new government appears to meet this objective.
In Emmanuel Macron’s entourage, we highlight an “enlargement of the majority”, with the arrivals of Catherine Vautrin and Rachida Dati, and a “tightened team (…) to act faster and more strong”.
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(Reporting by Blandine Hénault, Jean-Stéphane Brosse and Elizabeth Pineau, edited by Jean Terzian and Bertrand Boucey)
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