PARIS (Reuters) – A reshuffle in French President Emmanuel Macron’s government left most of the key ministers in place but saw right-wing veteran Rachida Dati enter the cabinet as Macron opted to play it safe ahead of European elections in June and the Paris Olympics in July.
After Macron appointed the 34-year-old former education minister and government spokesman Gabriel Attal as prime minister on Tuesday, Elysee chief of staff Alexis Kohler announced the following key nominations:
FOREIGN AFFAIRS – Catherine Colonna, a former ambassador to Britain and Italy, was replaced by Stephane Sejourne, a loyal ally of President Macron and Macron’s chief European election strategist.
CULTURE – Culture minister Rima Abdul Malak was replaced by veteran conservative politician Rachida Dati, currently the mayor of Paris’ rich 7th arrondissement and a close ally of former President Nicolas Sarkozy.
Abdul Malak last month called for a disciplinary procedure to review Gerard Depardieu’s Legion d’Honneur medal following lewd comments and allegations about sexual aggression, but days later Macron rallied to Depardieu’s defense.
INTERIOR – Gerald Darmanin, an immigration hardliner and former conservative party member, remains in place as interior minister to oversee security in the months leading up to the July-August Paris Olympics. Darmanin has made little secret of his ambitions to run for higher office.
FINANCE – Bruno Le Maire, also a former conservative party member, remains in place as finance and economy minister. Like Darmanin, Le Maire has been part of the government since the start of Macron’s first term in 2017 and is thought to harbour presidential ambitions. Le Maire, a German speaker and European Union enthusiast, has overseen the tax reforms and prides himself on having brought unemployment rates to a decade low, but also allowed state debt to set new highs with unprecedented state spending during the COVID-19 pandemic.
JUSTICE – Outspoken criminal lawyer Eric Dupond-Moretti remained in his post as justice minister. Dupond-Moretti has overseen a deep reform of the understaffed and perennially clogged-up French justice system but is unpopular with magistrate unions. In November, he was acquitted in a trial linked to charges of allegedly abusing his ministerial powers to settle scores with magistrates with whom he had sparred during his career as a top lawyer.
AGRICULTURE – Marc Fesneau remains the agriculture minister.
DEFENCE – Sebastien Lecornu, a Macron loyalist who had been cited as a possible new prime minister, remained in place as defence minister.
EDUCATION – Amelie Oudea-Castera, France’s sports minister, was also appointed the country’s new education minister, the post held by Gabriel Attal for just six months before he was appointed prime minister. A former professional tennis player before studying law and – just like Macron – entering the elite ENA administrative school, Oudea-Castera will be in charge of a newly designed double portfolio including public education and sports. With the Paris 2024 Olympics looming, she will likely be one of the busiest cabinet members.
The education ministry handles one of the biggest budgets in the French government but is a tricky position as it requires dealing with assertive teachers’ and student unions, and policy changes often meet strong opposition from parents and public. Attal had made his mark by banning the Muslim abaya dress in state schools, launching an anti-bullying campaign and experimenting with school uniforms.
(Reporting by Geert De Clercq; editing by Jonathan Oatis)
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