The French presidency said on Monday that Prime Minister Elizabeth Bourne has resigned, as President Emmanuel Macron seeks to give new momentum to his second term before the European Parliament elections and the Olympic Games in Paris this summer.
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Macron did not immediately mention the name of her successor.
The French president and his government are having difficulty dealing with the most volatile lawmakers to pass laws since they lost their absolute majority in Parliament shortly after Macron was re-elected for a second term in 2022.
The change of prime minister comes after a year marred by political crises resulting from disputed reforms to the pension system and immigration laws.
It also comes just five months before European Parliament elections, with Eurosceptics expected to make record gains at a time of widespread public discontent over rising costs of living and the failure of European governments to curb migration flows.
Opinion polls show that Macron's party is trailing far-right leader Marine Le Pen by about eight to ten points in the European Union elections scheduled for June.
Speculation of a government reshuffle has spread since Macron promised a new political initiative in December.
Possible candidates to succeed Bourne include Education Minister Gabriel Attal (34 years old) and Defense Minister Sébastien Lecornu (37 years old), both of whom will be France's youngest prime minister ever.
Critics have also mentioned Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire and former Agriculture Minister Julien Denormandy as possible options.
A change of prime minister will not necessarily lead to a shift in political direction, but rather will signal a desire to move beyond pension and immigration reforms and focus on new priorities, including achieving full employment.
Born, a soft-voiced career bureaucrat who served several Socialist Party ministers before joining Macron's governments, has been prime minister since May 2022.
At 62 years old, she was the second woman to hold the position.
Macron described Bourne's service as “exemplary” and thanked her “with all my heart.”
Madam First Minister, my hon @elizabeth_bourne, your travel to our nation's service on a typical day. You see us all promoting the courage, participation, and determination of women in the country. With all my heart, mercy. pic.twitter.com/G26ifKfKzj
– Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) January 8, 2024
Macron and his government, led by Bourne, are having difficulty navigating a more volatile parliament to pass laws since they lost their absolute majority shortly after Macron was re-elected for a second term in 2022.
The French president's advisors say that he was able to pass the most challenging parts of his economic manifesto in the first year and a half of his second term, despite not having an absolute majority, and that future reforms, in the field of education and euthanasia for example, will be more consistent.
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But Macron's decision to use executive powers last year to pass a controversial increase in the retirement age to 64 sparked weeks of violent protests.
The reshuffle is likely to intensify the race within Macron's camp to succeed him in the next presidential election in 2027, with former Prime Minister Edouard Philippe, Interior Minister Gérard Darmanin and Le Maire seen as potential candidates.
(Reuters)
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