Posted in: 20/05/2022 – 17:46
Paris (AFP) – French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday appointed two new foreign and defense ministers in the government headed by Elizabeth Born, hoping to generate positive momentum that would allow him to maintain a parliamentary majority in legislative elections next month.
Macron chose France’s ambassador to London, Catherine Colonna, to be his foreign minister, making her the second woman to hold the prestigious position. The Colonna succeeds Jean-Yves Le Drian, who has been in charge since 2017 and was a pillar of Macron’s administration.
The Elysee Palace also announced the assignment of the former Minister of Overseas Territories, Sebastien Licorno, as the defense portfolio to succeed Florence Parly.
The change in the foreign ministry comes with the approaching end of the French presidency of the Council of the European Union, whose unity has begun to decline with its failure so far to adopt a sixth package of sanctions once morest Russia.
In the midst of the dispute between Moscow and Kiev, Colonna pledged to act effectively on the file while President Emmanuel Macron worked to keep an open diplomatic channel with the Kremlin.
The president, who was re-elected for a second term on April 24 with 58.55 percent of the vote, is looking to maintain a parliamentary majority in order to advance his domestic reform agenda that includes changes to the welfare and pension system as well as tax cuts.
The biggest surprise came in the Ministry of Education, where the famous academic Bab Ndiaye, an expert in colonial history and ethnic relations, will replace the right-wing Jean-Michel Blanquet.
Macron, 44, on Monday appointed former Labor Minister Elizabeth Bourne as prime minister, the first time a woman has held the position in France in more than 30 years and only the second time in its history.
delay
Opposition figures accused Macron of deliberately delaying the nomination of a new government, regarding four weeks following his electoral victory once morest far-right leader Marine Le Pen.
The issue has received frantic media coverage in recent days, overshadowing the parliamentary election campaign and the activities and positions of the opposition parties.
“The French have many fears regarding the future, and the cost of electricity, fuel, housing and food is rising,” right-wing MP Julian Hubert of the Republican Party told France Info radio on Friday.
Macron’s centrist party is expected to face its biggest challenge in next month’s elections from the left that recently formed a new front.
France Rebel party leader Jean-Luc Melenchon is looking forward to a victory in the June 12-19 parliamentary elections, following taking third place in the presidential election.
Melenchon recently persuaded the Socialist and Communist parties and the Green Party to enter into a coalition under his leadership that would unite the left on a front for the first time in decades.
Arrival of the opposition
As with previous Macron governments, cabinet seats are divided equally between men and women.
The president also continued his habit of attracting faces from the opposition parties. He appointed a prominent Republican MP, Damian Abad, as Minister of Solidarity, Local Government and the Disabled.
Abad, 42, is the son of a miner from Nimes in southern France and became the first disabled lawmaker to be elected in 2012.
The new minister suffers from scoliosis, a rare disease.
In return, Macron kept Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire and Interior Minister Gérard Darmanin in their posts.
France has promised to step up its arms supplies to Ukraine, including Milan anti-tank missiles and Caesar cannons.
In addition to the Ukrainian file, Mali is another burning issue.
The country, which witnessed two coups in August 2020 and May 2021, gradually cut ties with France and other European countries militarily present on its soil, while rapprochement with Russia through its use of elements from the controversial Wagner mercenary group.
© 2022 AFP
