In her resignation letter, the Prime Minister stressed, like her distant predecessor, that her resignation obeyed the wishes of the President of the Republic.
There are the ministers who are refused their resignation by Emmanuel Macron. And there are those who are expressly asked for it. This is the case of Elisabeth Borne. The former head of government submitted her letter of resignation to the President of the Republic on Monday January 8. In this one, certain turns of phrase are not misleading. Elisabeth Borne repeats Michel Rocard’s sentences almost word for word. And for good reason, in 1991, the most hated Prime Minister, François Mitterrand, left Matignon under similar conditions.
“So I must present the resignation of my government,” begins Elisabeth Borne. “At a time when I must present the resignation of this government,” Michel Rocard already began. “You told me of your desire to appoint a new Prime Minister,” wrote Elisabeth Borne to Emmanuel Macron. “You kindly informed me of your intention to form a new government,” said Michel Rocard.
“I was asked for this resignation,” said Rocard
The similarities are not there by chance. Elisabeth Borne has often been compared to Michel Rocard because of her multiple recourses to 49.3: with 23 in less than 20 months at Matignon, she threatened to beat Rocard’s record, who had triggered 28 in three years.
In her farewell letter, Elisabeth Borne, like her predecessor, made it clear that she was not leaving of her own free will. Years after his departure from the government, Michel Rocard returned to this letter: “I took care of it a little so that it was clear that I was asked for this resignation”, he told in 2014 to BFMTV.
In her turn, the one who unflinchingly led Emmanuel Macron’s policy leaves, emphasizing that, until her departure, she will have obeyed the will of the Head of State.