A poisoned gift? In December 2019, while the political climate was tense due to the strikes of railway workers and Yellow Vests, Matignon had clearly defined the instructions for ministers: in the midst of social turmoil, they must not give the impression of abandoning power during the holidays and had to be active in communication around pension reform, recall our colleagues from Parisian. In other words, a certain restraint was expected as many citizens faced difficulties celebrating the holidays with family, particularly due to transportation problems.
However, Élisabeth Borne, then Minister of Ecological and Inclusive Transition, had chosen to treat herself to a sunny vacation in Marrakech in Morocco, in the company of his family. Her departure, on a regular line at her own expense, took place after she had postponed her trip to follow as closely as possible, during the weekend in Paris, “managing power outages at the heart of the Enedis PC and monitoring major outages and bad weather”, informed his office. Although her advisor emphasized that it was only an absence of a few days and that she would be fully available the following week, this choice had been criticized.
>>> PHOTOS – Elisabeth Borne, Bruno Le Maire… Discover the ministers in their early days
Élisabeth Borne, already in turmoil
This escapade in Morocco had reopened the debate on the Government’s expectations in terms of availability and responsiveness of ministers, even during periods of leave. Élisabeth Borne’s justification highlighting her continued commitment to the service of the country throughout the year had, however, sparked debates on the balance between public and private life for members of the Government. All this, in comparison, was nothing compared to what awaited him. Between pension reform and the immigration law, the Prime Minister has experienced her share of disappointments since her Christmas vacation in Marrakech in 2019.
Article written in collaboration with 6médias
Photo credits: Stephane Lemouton / Bestimage