Gabriel Attal is the new Prime Minister, but the composition of his government is long overdue.
It is still time for changes in government. After the resignation of Elisabeth Borne on Monday evening, it was the young Gabriel Attal who was named Prime Minister this Tuesday, January 9. Even the opposition of the allied parties of the presidential majority, François Bayrou’s MoDem and Edouard Philippe’s Horizons, did not manage to dissuade Emmanuel Macron from his choice.
Who says new head of government, says new government team. And the composition of this must also be revealed in the hours or days to come. What is certain is that the members of the government must be appointed before the next Council of Ministers. The latter was to be held Wednesday January 10, before a last minute postponement, without a new date, to settle the final details of the government casting.
A casting about which there are still few clues. The speed of the cabinet reshuffle could be a sign of little change, but the new chief executive could bring surprises and propel other names into government.
The promotion of certain members of the macronie such as deputies or other close advisors is possible. The minister, distantly from the left, could also, on advice or orders from Emmanuel Macron, extend a hand to the left wing of the Macron divided from the rest of the group since the vote on the immigration law. The reshuffle could ultimately be a matter of balancing reconciliation with the left wing and opening doors to the right in a logic of “at the same time” with which the head of state seems to want to continue his mandate.
All changes are possible, but a priori the chances that the heavyweights of the macronie like Bruno Le Maire in the Economy and Gérald Darmanin in the Interior, will be dismissed or move are low. Even when it is a wish on their part, since according to Politico the desires elsewhere of the “first cop of France”, who was eyeing the Quai d’Orsay, would not have been heard. It must be said that it is difficult to envisage change in these large portfolios in the run-up to the Paris Olympics, an event that some ministers have been working on for several months, even years. So status quo for Gérald Darmanin or Amélie Oudéa-Castera at Sports? Note that if it is indeed Gabriel Attal who is appointed to Matignon, the important Ministry of Education will be vacant and will have to find a new tenant.
Certain ministers have been described as being in an ejection seat since the first rumors of a reshuffle, notably those from the left wing nicknamed the “rebellious” who opposed all or part of the immigration law last December. Among them: Clément Beaune (Transport), Rima Abdul-Malak (Culture), Patrice Vergriete (Housing), Sylvie Retailleau (Higher Education) and Roland Lescure (Industry). The Ministry of Health managed interim by Agnès Firmin Le Bodo could also change tenants. Finally, the case of Olivier Dussopt at the Ministry of Labor raises questions since the man must be judged in his trial for favoritism on January 17.
The delegated ministers
Secretaries of State
