Elisabeth Borne, who has previous work experience in government, has been selected to take over as Prime Minister of France. The general elections that will take place in June will have a significant impact on their destiny.
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| French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne/Reuters |
France has a woman at the top of government for the first time in thirty years. President Emmanual Macron has selected former Labor Minister Elisabeth Borne as Prime Minister. She is to make suggestions to him for the establishment of a new government team. Because following his re-election in April, he not only wants a fresh face at the office of head of government at the beginning of his second term, but also a renewed cabinet.
As is traditional in France following the presidential elections , the outgoing Prime Minister Jean Castex presented his resignation on Monday. Macron had declared he had known for days who would replace him and outlined his criteria: a woman with expertise in environmental and social policies. Borne, who has served on multiple times, meets this description in every regard. And so perfectly that one wonders if Macron first selected his head of government and then created the criteria according to her profile.
Following the completion of her studies in engineering, the 61-year-old Borne, who was born in Paris, first held management positions in public transportation and then, among other things, gained experience in the areas mentioned by Macron as the right-hand man of the then Environment Minister Ségolène Royal. Borne is now running for the position of mayor of Paris.
On the political spectrum, she was more aligned with the socialists, but in 2017, she became a member of Macron's En marche movement. She served as Minister of Transport under Marcron, then Minister of the Environment, and beginning in 2019, she will serve as Minister of Labor.
The primary motivation for the nomination, according to the media, is the current head of state's desire for political continuity. Both Le Monde and Le Figaro have referred to Borne as a "technocrat" who does not have any special political aspirations. According to Mediapart's interpretation of events, the appointment demonstrates that the head of state "settled on the profile of a discreet and loyal individual." He had "opted for the least complicated approach."
Elisabeth Borne is also supposed to push through unpopular reforms
Since in France the prime ministers are never permitted to overwhelm the president, but should always play second fiddle under the leadership of the Élysée, Borne fits in nicely. Organize, coordinate and manage. For them, work comes first...and then work.
Former workers say that she was a manager who was autocratic and oftentimes not particularly friendly, and that she was responsible for many of her subordinates being burned out. This is the origin of her nickname, "Borne-out." Macron anticipates that she will force through difficult measures, just as she did when she was the minister of unemployment insurance, by drastically reducing payments for around a million people looking for work in order to reduce the "cost." However, according to an article published in the business newspaper La Tribune, it would be inaccurate or overstated to compare Borne to Margaret Thatcher right immediately since she is "neither a Merkel nor a Thatcher." Borne is "neither a Merkel nor a Thatcher."
The most important thing to come out of the nomination is that Macron follows his pledge to finally put a woman in charge of the French government, which will only be the second time that this has ever happened. Because of her experiences dealing with the "machos" of the "political elite," the socialist Edith Cresson, who served as the first female prime minister under President Francois Mitterrand in 1991/1992, bids the next head of government "bon courage." Cresson served as prime minister in 1991/1992.
She requires a great deal of bravery in order to persevere through the inevitable sexist obstacles. As a result of Borne's efforts, her official title has been changed to reflect the fact that she is a woman. She is now known as Madame la Premiere Ministre, which is a first for France. Eric Zemmour, an extreme on the right, was offended by the fact that a woman was appointed to a position that he obviously feels should be reserved for males and that he refers to as "ugly."
The results of the legislative elections that will take place in June will determine how long the new government and its leader will remain in office. The new government must be put together with consideration given to the majority that have emerged in the National Assembly. On June 12th to the 19th, Borne will be competing for election in a seat located in Normandy. Even if she wins the election, she won't be able to take her place in the legislature. In accordance with an unwritten norm, she would be required to step down as prime minister in the event that she was to suffer an unexpected defeat in the district associated with Macron.