“100 days”. This is the time that Emmanuel Macron has given his government to turn the page on pensions and launch new legislative projects. In April 2023, Elisabeth Borne detailed the program for these “100 days”: “The roadmap immediately responds to the concerns and expectations of French people who expect concrete solutions and life-changing actions, responses to the major challenges of our time.” The president himself then set July 14 as the date for a “first assessment”.
However, 3 months later, the retirement page has been turned somehow. If projects have been launched in many areas (France Travail, the reform of the vocational school, the climate plan, etc.), the French expect change. For some, it’s time for an overhaul. According to a BVA poll for RTL published in June, 6 out of 10 French people want a change of Prime Minister.
In addition, several other ministers have disappointed both the Head of State and the French. Starting with Marlène Schiappa, implicated in the Marianne Fund affair and criticized for her appearance in Playboy. The Secretary of State for the Social and Solidarity Economy is not the only one worried: Franck Riester, Catherine Colonna, François Braun or even Pap Ndiaye are among the ministers potentially on the way out. So, as the 100-day deadline nears, reshuffle rumors are growing. When will it take place?
If the hypothesis of a reshuffle seems more relevant than ever, uncertainties continue to hover over the Elysée Palace. For now, nothing has been officially decided. Moreover, the current context of urban protests, following the death of young Nahel shot dead by a policeman, does not seem favorable. Emmanuel Macron would like order to be back in a sustainable way, said one of his relatives. “It’s sure that if the president speaks and afterwards it blows up again, we look a bit like idiots,” a Renaissance deputy told BFMTV.
So when is the redesign? “Rather after July 14, given the President’s international agenda this week (NATO summit, in Vilnius, then reception of Indian Prime Minister Modi)”, judges Yaël Goosz, political journalist at Radio France. Some advance the date of July 26, the last day of the parliamentary session. Others bet on the month of September, the period of the senatorial elections or even on January, after the results of the European elections. Could it just not happen?
According to Yaël Goosz, political journalist at Radio France, “the current system is perfectly suited to Emmanuel Macron and his practice of power. For the 100 days, it has covered all the major subjects (except perhaps the fight against tax evasion). […] Finally, Elisabeth Borne perfectly embodies the super-prefect, withdrawn, that he needs”. Thus, the current occupant of Matignon could keep her place as Prime Minister.
A possibility corroborated by his recent statements, especially in the pages of Le Parisien. Asked about her tenure at Matignon, Elisabeth Borne replied: “I have a roadmap, I deliver and I stick to it. […] I don’t comment on rumours.” And, she also recalled that “the president had the opportunity to say that I had his confidence”.
According to Le Parisien, the Prime Minister’s office is already preparing the agenda for the week of July 17. But, as an executive adviser reminds us, this does not guarantee anything. “It is not a meeting with the unions that will determine whether Borne is confirmed or not.”
