It had been announced for several weeks already, but the names of the ministers concerned were kept secret (or almost) until the end. A new reshuffle shook the government this Thursday, July 20, an inevitable operation after months of near-seismic tremors in the first year of Macron’s second five-year term. Already on Tuesday evening, the president had brought together the members of the government, including an Elisabeth Borne, certain to save her head, for a dinner at the Elysée Palace, described by some as “baroque”, with the air of a farewell party. Before the assembly of ministers, Emmanuel Macron tried to play down the expectation of an imminent reshuffle, saying that it was necessary to “take a lot of distance”. An attempt which did not prevent a ministerial adviser from qualifying the initiative of the dinner, however traditional, of “sadistic”. Atmosphere.
The ax fell on Thursday, and eight ministers are part of the cast selected to take the door. Some were expected, others less so. What is certain is that this long-awaited reshuffle is taking place to the detriment of representatives of civil society and to the favor of political specialists since of the 8 new entrants to the government, 6 are elected to the National Assembly. And government spokesman Olivier Véran boasts of a “reinforced government”: “You have experienced elected officials within the new government, elected officials also on the ground”. According to those close to the executive, newcomers will have to respect two criteria: “efficiency”, that is to say the ability to implement the reforms, and “embodiment”, the way of carrying the measures in the media in particular. Qualities which the outgoing would therefore undoubtedly have lacked. Here is what they were accused of.
